Follow Shepard
by Misguided Terran
Summary: Follow the events of the Mass Effect storyline through the eyes of a Technical Operator, as he travels throughout the galaxy with Commander Shepard in her mission to stop the traitorous Saren at all costs.  Serious storytelling within.
1. Prologue

_by Joshua Scott_

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware. Holy cow is there nothing I own aside from a bit of extra writing in hopes that people will like it?_

"Well, what about Shepard?" a terse voice spoke, the tinny audio ringing off the small space's walls, as a finger jetted out to a small button along a glowing orange holo-computer wrapped around the operator's arm, which diminished the volume levels coming through. "She grew up in the colonies," it continued, unaware of the actions on the other end of the call, though his voice showed he probably was too wrapped up in whatever he was doing at the moment.

Captain David Anderson nodded, before replying to the conversation, "She knows how tough life can be out there. Her parents were killed when slavers attacked Mindoir." The operator raised an eyebrow, only hearing Anderson's part of the conversation, but the young man stayed silent anyway.

"She proved herself during the Blitz," a third voice interjected, a wise yet smooth voice that commanded experience from its years, "held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements could arrive."

The Captain nodded again, though the conversational partners couldn't see, "She's the only reason Elysium is still standing."

A moment later, "We can't question her courage," the first voice finally admitted, though somewhat unconvincingly.

"Humanity needs a hero," Anderson interjected, "and Shepard's the best we've got." The Operator finally glanced upwards towards the Captain, who had turned slightly to avoid eye contact.

A moment later, "I'll make the call," the first voice concluded, and the Captain turned and nodded to his Operator. With a series of taps along his Omni-tool, the young man ended the three way call from the Captain's earpiece, as well as bringing the remaining processes of the elevator back up along with its regular ascension, immediately reciting the news reports from across the galactic colonies.

They stood for a moment before Anderson finally spoke up, "I'm assuming you'd have questions after that." He smiled faintly, turning to view the young man, whose somewhat slender build seemed muffled under the bulky Alliance Navy armor.

"To be honest," he spoke, removing the helmet and running a few digits through his somewhat short, dirty blond hair, "That was... quite a thing to partially eavesdrop on." He stared out the viewing window of the elevator, "I have to ask, why would you include me in on that?"

Anderson nodded, "My recommendation for Commander Shepard will eventually be known to the rest of humanity, but... for this call, I'd rather keep only those directly interested in the know how."

The younger laughed slightly, "Yes but... not that I don't mind, but seriously, sir?"

The older man turned to face him again, "Well you're going to be in on what we're doing anyway, you were one of my other recommendations."

"I'm sorry, for what, sir?"

Anderson crossed his arms as he noted the elevator's level ascension, "This is a certain mission involving delicate matters. Very delicate, something the brass wanted the best for."

"Well, I'd understand Shepard being nominated as the best, yeah."

"Oh," the Captain jumped in, "So you know her."

The younger man chuckled softly, "Yes, I still remember her, obviously." This made the older man laugh quietly, as the floors whizzed by, men in jump suits moving cargo around inside of their loading bays. Soon the consoles beeped, and the elevator ceased, the doors hissing open to a small connecting hatchway to a shuttle. They entered and took opposing seats as the doors once more slid shut with a hiss, and the shuttle bobbed slightly before its thrusters moved them away from the loading area. "What I'm startled by more is that I'm being considered a "Best-of"," the operator continued, forming the last words with finger quotation marks.

Anderson smiled, "It wasn't just me, you had the flags coming in from other members of this mission. Engineer Adams was another high flag, as did Navigations Officer Pressley. Even our pilot asked that you be on board."

"No kidding, wait, this wouldn't be Joker would it?" the younger man asked with a smile on his lips.

"You guessed it. The best requesting the best, we're all proud of you, Keith," Anderson spoke, sitting back in his sharply designed Captain's uniform.

Keith Sunderland smiled to himself as he glanced out of the shuttle window towards the stars of the galaxy, "That's... that's heavy," he finally stated, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together. "I mean, I really wished one day this would happen... but now, I can't believe I'm going on something big. What're the details, actually?"

Anderson smiled, "Hopefully nothing increasingly dramatic," he stated, waving a hand, "This should be a simple pop in, pick up mission on one of our colonies. Eden Prime as it turns out."

Keith sat back and nodded, his eyes lowering to the floor, pondering the situation over. "So you're pulling the best together to pick up some groceries, some delicate groceries... hell I guess I'm behind you." He smiled brightly as he adjusted in his seat, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips, "Sir, can I request some lighter armor?" He stood up, his hands moving to pat his hips, "It uh... well it sucks having to sit in these," he finally stated, grabbing hold of the railing above their heads.

The Captain narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, before smiling and shaking his head, "I'm sure we can get you situated in something like that. If it helps you on the field of course." He approvingly nodded before glancing out the window and rising to his feet. "Ah here we are."

"Huh?" Keith stated as he glanced out the window, before his eyes widened and he smiled to himself, "Wow... well you don't pull a crew up together for a previously made ship." He stayed silent for a moment, as the sleek design of what he recognized as a space-faring ship moved into better view, the light reflecting off of home world Earth gleaming from the finished hull.

"Correct," Anderson stated, his elbows propping along the windowsill, "We're taking out a brand-new prototype ship designed for stealth. It's built for surprise drops, and is probably one of the fastest ships in the galaxy with the new Tantalus Drive core."

"Hey isn't that supposed to be twice the size of-"

"Yes it is. This girl is one of the best, a collaboration of forward steps in science, and collaboration with alien designs in the ship. She's built with Turian ship format, and we're even commissioned by the Council."

"Well... it'd be the best if this thing doesn't suddenly fall apart after launch," Keith stated, rubbing his chin as he continued to peer down towards the loading bay, as if the craft were ready to take off without warning.

"Very funny," Anderson replied, leaning back slightly to glance at the young man, "That's why you're here a couple of weeks early, to run over the diagnostics, make sure everything's good and up to snuff."

Keith shrugged as he adjusted in his boots again, "Yes, now I can see why you suggested me. Everyone wants to use the devices, but when it suddenly starts going off on error messages, you need the guys like me." A moment passed as the shuttle closed in towards the docking bay, the thrusters humming down a in pitch, noting their deceleration. "So... what's her name?" he finally asked, glancing towards his superior.

Anderson smiled as he stood back, his hands cupping behind his back, "We're calling her the Normandy."

Keith smiled and peered out towards the new bridge, "I like it."

**In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.**

**They called it the greatest discovery in human history.**

**The civilizations of the galaxy call it...**

**MASS EFFECT**

And hello everyone, welcome to what I hope amounts to a good fanfiction for Mass Effect. Yes, shockingly I'm taking on the daunting task of remarking the events of the games, though as told with a better focus on the crew members' experiences.

I absolutely love the Mass Effect universe, from its detailed space faring civilizations to the nitty gritty of what planets give off what energies. My only qualm was the fact that your crew members never seemed to interact with each other. Imagine my discomfort when the barest semblance of inter-crew conversations were from a list of emails on the Shadow Broker's computer, (WHOOPS SPOILERS!) So one day, I wondered what it would be like if I tried to write in a secondary character that would help tie the group together, let them interact and so on. So while we follow Shepard on her mission to save the galaxy, we'll be doing so through the eyes of a crewmember, on away missions, still on the ship as she goes to the various planets, and exchanging story with the rest of the cast.

I'll try not to delve too far into changing ANYONE's character. And don't worry about Keith, he'll be hitting bumps and bruises along the way. In case you're wondering, yes I'll also expunge his backstory. I'm definitely not saying he's gonna die anytime soon, what with the third major installment coming down the road, he's definitely going to see that. But he's not going to be making any of the big calls. As for the rest of it... well, you'll see.

The first chapter I'll try to get up really soon, come fly with me.


	2. 1 A Maiden's Voyage

_by Joshua Scott_

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware._

* * *

**A Maiden's Voyage**

The Normandy seemed to swim through the empty space, sailing past the gravitational pull of the mighty Jupiter, Sol well on her tail end as they headed towards their destination.

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence," the pilot's voice cracked over the intercom, as the crew hustled about to their stations, checking data to ensure pressure levels were fine, artificial gravity held up, or at the very least the wings had yet to fall off. A young woman in her late twenties quickly made her way towards the front of the ship, briefly brushing by privates giving off the militaristic affirmative greeting, "Commander," though both were well on their way towards their own goals. The overhead lights in the hull gleamed from her vibrant red hair as she crossed paths with more crew, an approving nod here, an ignore there as the member ran off with a data pad in hand. She briefly glanced out the data monitor, noting their quick progress past Neptune.

"The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector," the pilot continued, smartly covering all the points they would make sure you knew in flight school, "All stations secure for transit." The young woman pressed on, past the airlock as she stepped into the flight cabin, taking her stance near the tall figure covered toe to high neck in a red glowing stripped armor. Shepard's main interest lied in the viewport past the pilot, "Joker," as he was commonly referred to, even among the higher ranks. Her green eyes scanned ahead, as Joker piped up, unaware of the onlookers, "Board if green, approach run has begun."

'_There we are_,' she thought to herself as the ship neared a massive structure. Resembling a gigantic, planetoid sized gyroscope within a key framed shell, the Mass Relay quietly hummed its pulse through the hull of the ship, seeming to have expected their arrival. Shepard smiled, '_A key to the rest of the galaxy... I wonder if that's how they pictured it back then_' she pondered, as the ship flew closer and closer, turning to starboard near the glowing mass caught in the middle of the rotating rings.

"Hitting the relay in 3... 2... 1..." Joker counted down as what seemed a Tesla styled bolt of energy leapt from the core of the relay, connecting through the ports of the ship and triggering the Tantalus core drive. The ship suddenly hummed higher in pitch as the energies bounced around inside, before the relay sent them on their way, rocketing off at speeds faster than anyone had truly yet to pinpoint, a telltale bright glowing trail left behind them as the rings slowed to its regular speed, the hum dropping down once more as its temporary outlet had taken off to other parts of the Milky Way system.

"Thrusters... check," Joker stated after a moments pause, as if waiting for the silence and tension being cleared out with a collective sigh among the crew, glancing from his bank of monitors to his two wing mates, Kaiden Alenko and Keith Sunderland. "Navigations, check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift... just under 1500 K," he stated calmly, before finally relaxing against his seat.

"1500 is good," the tall figure behind Joker's seat stated, his voice coming through in a dual toned vocal amidst his mandibles and fanged teeth, "Your captain will be pleased." He turned smartly and made his way aft along the bridge, glancing among the various data ports. Joker turned his head back forward, having watched the Turian visitor saunter off, before stating coldly, "I hate that guy."

"Nihlus gave you a compliment," Kaiden stated, as if trying to figure out the predicament, "So... you hate him?" He smiled amusingly, turning back to his own monitor, surveying the data streams crawling their way down the glowing orange window.

"You remember to zip up your jump suit on the way out of the bathroom, that's good," Joker replied in a huff, as Keith made a sideways glance at him, his brow crinkling, "I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible."

Keith laughed a bit, "Yeah... but you know, sometimes we do need help with the jump suit," he stated quietly, turning to smile at Joker, before suddenly catching sight of Commander Shepard gazing down over the three crew mates. He blinked slightly and turned back, the smile disappearing from his face, a look of shock seeming to replace it.

"Besides, Spectres are trouble," Joker continued, ignoring Keith's sudden awestruck stance, "I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid," Kaiden fired back, without a moment for pause, "The Council helped fund this project, they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story, but only an idiot believes the official story."

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs," Shepard finally spoke up, alerting Kaiden to her presence, who had yet to turn to see if he had anyone watching.

"So there's more going on here than the captain's letting on," Joker stated affirmatively, turning to Kaiden an, "I-told-you-so," look.

Almost as if on cue, a small ring emanated from Keith's port, as he quickly prodded the appropriate switch, bringing Anderson's voice booming in the cockpit, "Joker! Status report."

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain," Joker responded, sitting up as Keith sent his data for the ship into Joker's monitor, "Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid."

"Good," the Captain's voice rang out, "Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Did'ja get that?" Joker stated towards Keith, who's fingers were dancing across his terminal.

"I'm sitting right here... I mean, yes sir, we've got it, got it pinged already" Keith corrected himself, wanting to look official in front of the Commander.

Joker smiled lightly and turned back to his speaker, "Aye aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant," Anderson replied as-a-matter-of-factly, sending Joker's smile into an embarrassed grimace, Kaiden and Keith exchanging amused grins over the poor pilot's mistake. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing," the Captain concluded, a small ring signifying the inter-ship call had ended.

Joker sighed lightly, as he went back to his business, "You get that Commander?" he asked, not even turning to eye her over his shoulder.

"Well he sounds a bit stressed, something must have gone wrong with the mission," Shepard replied softly, turning to leave back up the bridge.

"Pff, Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me," Joker stated dismissively, his eyes glued to his screen.

"Can't possibly imagine why," Alenko stated under his breath, though not as quietly as he hoped.

Joker turned to glare at his crew mate before turning the other way, "Keith, punch him for me," he stated, nudging his head towards the other Lieutenant.

Keith laughed slightly as Kaiden gave a confused look towards the other two, "Hey what's the deal for that?"

"Relax," Keith stated, settling back into his seat, his hands working to complete the connection to the comm buoy, "We're on duty right now, I'll get you later." He grinned as he watched the progress bar crawl on the screen. "Still can't win your own fights, huh Joker?"

"Oh shut up," the pilot snapped, adjusting the ball cap on his head, resetting its position to be more comfortable, "Says the giddy little schoolboy looking up at his big hero. Seriously, how'd you manage to lose that much face?"

""I am not a giddy little schoolboy, geez," Keith stated, his cheeks flushing the color away, "Honestly... I mean, I haven't seen her since... well y'know," his voice trailed off, waving a hand as if the reason were just in the air in front of him.

"Oh right, like I'd forget about that story you told me plenty of times," Joker stated as if her weren't interested. "So it's been a few years... you're not sure if she remembers you at all?"

"Okay, yeah... I'm worried about that, I guess," the Operator admitted, his head moving to rest his jaw along his fist. "But at least I'm not all stock stiff in front of the scary Spectre."

"Shut up," Joker amusingly stated, "Again, I'm just not sure what's going on here, I'm all on edge."

"Again, paranoid," Kaiden spoke up, "I sincerely doubt we're doing anything wrong, I'd just relax if I were you." He relaxed his arms as the data continued to stream down, his eyes checking for any irregularities. "Keith, not to be a spoilsport, but how are we on the connection?"

"We are... good," Keith stated, as he punched in a string of code, "I'm firing off the launch details, and it's smooth sailing from here to Eden Prime."

"Good, I don't like interruptions, makes me a bit jerky," Joker stated, as he tapped a button on his armrest, "Getting a drink, you guys want anything?" he asked, turning to his partners.

"Nah, I've got working legs," Keith replied, giving a smarmy grin towards the other two, "Besides, I don't want to look too much like I'm loafing around," he added, his eyes glancing at a small blinking light on his console.

"Yeah well, you've gotta keep hydrated, even if this baby's built with such nice air conditioning." Joker paused for a moment, his fingers still working over the controls, "So either of you been to E.P.?"

"No, I haven't," Kaiden replied, adjusting his position in the chair, "But I know Jenkins back there is a local. Maybe we'll get to see the sights, he could introduce us to a nice farmer's market."

"Yeah, or maybe the farmer's daughter," the pilot fired back swiftly.

Kaiden laughed at the comment, before glancing around Joker to Keith, "What about you, Keith?"

The operator's face was frozen in a state of concern, as his hands flew across the holo display, "Joker, we need this patched through to the comm room, give Anderson the heads up!" He quickly flicked his hand across the screen from left to right, rewinding whatever he was watching, "This mission seriously got more screwed up."

"Just give the word Captain," Shepard stated, smiling lightly between him and the Turian Spectre. She was just the smallest bit impressed that an alien special agent put her name forward to be recognized as the first possible human Spectre, a warm feeling spreading through her cheeks as she strained to keep from grinning like a small girl.

"We should be getting close to Eden-"

"Captain! We've got a problem!" Joker shouted over the intercom, startling the room's inhabitants aside from the tall Nihlus. The humans glanced upwards towards the speaker, concerned over what could possibly have happened.

"What's wrong Joker?" Anderson fired back.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!" the pilot asserted, as Keith plugged a few buttons, nodding as the video was ready to transmit to the back room.

"Bring it up on screen," the Captain declared, moving to the center of the comm room flanked by Nihlus. It was almost respective how the hand of the Council seemed to act aboard the mostly human ship, even if the stories about him taking down entire enemy platoons seemed to keep children up at night. He placed this mental note aside as Shepard peered past their shoulders, not moving from her original spot, still somewhat floored by the news of her promotion.

This changed when the video displayed a squad of marines firing wildly towards an unseen force, debris flying as the staccato series of pulse rounds exploded the rocky terrain around them. The camera switched to its right as a young woman in a pink striped suit of body armor sprinted towards the operator, placing a hand on their shoulder and asserting, "Get down!" as she pushed the viewer to the ground, immediately bringing her rifle to bear and firing back at the still unseen foe.

The camera operator flipped over, perhaps to gain a better view of the combat, perhaps to get a good ID of what was attacking them. It seemed almost in vain, as the picture began to blur along the edges, possibly from the flying dirt and flare of gunfire. Shepard yielded a sideways glance at the other two viewers, Anderson's cold gaze fixated on the combat, his eyes refusing to blink, as Nihlus's mandibles extended and retracted from the side of his face, showing his teeth as his breath entered a cadence of its own, possibly from the years of battle experience.

The video quickly turned back towards the marines on the ground, a grenade detonating a little too close to the operator, as a hand grabbed their shoulder. A young officer, from the looks of it, declared into the camera, "We're under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat, heavy casualties!" An explosion rippled the audio receiver, as the camera seemed to hit the ground, the officer grabbing his helmet in fear as he knelt down and picked up the now seemingly unmanned camera. "We can't... argh," he stated, stumbling slightly as he attempted to balance himself and give a proper report, static filling the video as he smacked the side of the camera, "-eed evac, they came out of nowhere! We need-" he cut off, as a trio of shots punctured his shields and armor, embedding themselves within the right side of his chest, throwing him back against the ground to the feet of another marine.

The camera rolled in a rocking motion, a loud hum filling the video as the debris continued to fly, though a pair of marines froze in a trance of horror. It seemed at this point someone managed the nerve to pick up the camera, fiddling with it quickly before focusing on what seemed to be a maelstrom airborne, red clouds spitting lightning towards the now war torn surface of the colony, a series of what appeared to be giant tendrils formed of large metal fragments protruding from the storm. The view shook as a marine dropped the camera, apparently abandoning his platoon and racing towards a hopeful safe spot, before the video feed cut to static.

"Everything cuts out after that," Joker finally piped up, "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead, there's nothing!"

Captain Anderson gnawed his cheek lightly, before tilting his head, "Reverse and hold at 38.5!" he barked, moving closer towards the screen, as Keith quickly relayed his instruction, moving the view to the appropriate time length mentioned. The large, subterranean creature like claw poured into the window, lightning crackling from its extended limbs, as Nihlus's breath caught, his face going stock still as he scanned the form of this beast. A moment later, "Status report," Anderson added, as the trio continued to look on in amazement.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain," the pilot assured them, giving a quick scan of his and his partner's monitors, "No other Alliance ships in the area."

A moment of silence over the speakers did little to ease the tension for the three at the front of the ship, before, "Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet." The Captain's face contorted grimly at the sight of the assailant frozen upon the view screen, "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

As if looking for advice, he turned towards the Turian, who quickly made out, "A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention." Nihlus crossed his arms. before glancing back, "It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

"Uh... what?" Kaiden quietly muttered, the comm room's call system still working, "What beacon are we on about?" he asked to the other two with him, though both seemed to ignore him.

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold," Anderson replied to the Spectre's plan, who had quickly turned to head towards the same destination. A moment of pondering, he turned towards Shepard, who was still scrutinizing the figure upon the screen, "Tell Alenko, Sunderland, and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in."

Shepard nodded, before turning her gaze back for one last look, then quickly marching her way out to the bridge. She shot Jenkins a quick command to suit up as she noted Keith and Kaiden sprinting towards the rear of the ship, having heard the commands over the call. They clambered into the elevator together, Keith stabbing the descend button as Kaiden stated, "What do you think's going on?"

"Well I hope... whatever could go wrong," Keith stated calmly, turning to take stock of the emotional duress of the others, "Is all we just saw. I wouldn't like any more surprises."

"Agreed," Shepard admitted, though not having turned to say this. She stood at the fore of the group, patiently waiting, though her nerves jumped at her skin. Something prickled in the back of her head, though, a small voice thinking that things could still just as well go downhill.

* * *

And there you go folks, chapter one of the story. Granted, I'm feeling a bit awful that the majority of this is ingame dialogue, I'm hoping I can keep away from much of that. The thing here is the opening scene is still such a strong spot. I had to get as much of it in to fire the plot along, not only that, keep the characters actually living in the moment. Aiee.

This won't be a daily thing, but I'll try to keep to a schedule. I'm actually having fun with this. Though this is five pages worth of writing, who wants to see if I can fit all of Eden Prime into one chapter?

Other thoughts, I finally hit a spot I can save at, YES! In case you didn't know, I'm playing this alongside writing in various bits. This will mostly only happen for when the game's plot takes a significant part of this story, tho. I'll try to skip a majority of the extra stuff, but I won't avoid making the new friends and such.

So please, tell me what you think, bash me for using so much already written stuff, and... well, spread the word if you like. Thanks folks.


	3. 2 Broken Paradise

_by Joshua Scott_

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware._

**Broken Paradise**

The hangar's warning alarms blared, notifying anyone not wanting the drastic change in pressure to find other sections of the ship, as Keith hurriedly slipped into his armor. He kicked his boots together, smiling at how well they fit, "Always hated that bulky stuff, shields replace, but it takes forever to buff out a scratch on that armor," he stated, as he closed the storage locker and grabbed a combat helmet from the side. He glanced around as he noted Jenkins laughing a bit heartily.

"Yeah and if that doesn't work, maybe a smaller gun as well?" he asked, taking a large assault rifle from the weaponry desk and placing it over his shoulder, the frame finding purchase at the joints in the back of his armor, clicking and hissing as the body folded into a more compact shape. As if then embellishing his point, he began flexing under the heavy armor, showing off in front of the operator.

"Quit it Jenkins," warned Kaiden, who was pulling on his own helmet, "To each their own, just remember that staying out of the line of fire is your best bet." He clasped his hand, focusing at a pistol laying on the table, giving off a quiet grunt as the firearm suddenly became surrounded by a cloud of purple light, which floated away and to the lieutenant's hand much like a fish caught by a sportsman.

Keith rolled his eyes as he stepped over, grabbing both a rifle and pistol from the selection, "Geez, I didn't know we were comparing baseball cards," he stated, as he waved his omni-tool over the pistol. He frowned slightly, before reaching to the side, grabbing a small laser sighting device and sliding it around the barrel, "This'll help, I guess you guys just like shooting the breeze, eh?"

"If you ladies are ready," Commander Shepard interrupted, sauntering through the trio and pulling a shotgun from the armaments, "We have a colony in a dire situation." Her gaze traveled from one soldier to another, each face changing in a show of embarrassment, either from the realization of the situation, or the fact that she had all of them out gunned. She gave a short smile as she gestured towards Keith, "Pass me one, would you?"

The operator nodded as he picked up a pistol, scanned it, gave a nod, and handed it over, his eyes meeting hers in a brief moment. Shepard blinked as she studied his face, noting the scar running down the side of his chin. _'Hmm... that's familiar,'_ she thought to herself, as Keith turned, saluting the Captain as he approached the squad.

"Commander, your team's the muscle in this operation," he stated as the four lined up before him, "I want you to go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" Kaiden asked, moving his hand to his helmet, attempting to set it straight.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective," Anderson continued, his voice raising as the loading bay's doors opened, the wind slipping in and out of the chamber attempting to drown him out, "The beacon's your top priority."

Keith thumbed his computer, adjusting the communication channels for the squad's helmets as Joker's voice filtered through, "Approaching drop point one." He glanced up as the tall Nihlus marched into view, moving a rather powerful looking shotgun over in his three fingered hand.

"Nihlus, you're coming with us?" Jenkins asked, his eyes blinking from the light streaming through the opening.

"I move faster on my own," the Spectre declared, moving into a run down the ramp before jumping down and moving out of sight from the ship.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead," Anderson assured the team, getting them back to attention, "He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence."

Shepard nodded as the ship began to swing around a hill, "We've got his back, Captain!"

"The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck," he finished, as Joker's voice confirmed their destination. As the ship came to a pause over the ground, the ground team advanced down the ramp, landing on the firm earth, before Keith turned and gave a thumbs-up. The captain nodded, the stress gnawing away at him inside as the hangar's door slid shut and the Normandy returned to a safe distance.

* * *

The ground switched maddeningly from undisturbed grass and earth to cracked dirt from the scorches of plasma fire. The three men scanned the area, readying their weapons, unsure what could pop out from around the rocks, as Nihlus's voice popped into their radios, "This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere, keep your guard up."

Shepard motioned for the others to follow, pulling the pistol from the attach-point on her hip, moving forwards at a steady pace. Several yards before them lay a murky pool of water, with several floating flesh-covered beasts, resembling jumping insects caught in clouds of fat.

"What the hell are those?" Kaiden exclaimed in a confused manner, his eyes narrowing as he took in the image of such a foreign creature.

Jenkins gave out a laugh as he walked over, patting the thing on the back, causing it to bob to the side, "Gas bags. Don't worry, they're harmless." He placed his hand on the beast again, giving it an approving shove as it sailed over the pond.

Kaiden's face remained in a grimace, as another of the "Gas Bags" floated towards him, bumping its face into the small of his back, startling him in a show of readying a biotic fist, causing the other's to give a quick laugh.

"Come on, I don't think these guys are suddenly out to kill us," Keith stated, moving over to rotate the creature and send it on its way, "You need to keep calm Lieutenant."

"Shut up," Kaiden replied, moving after the Commander, who was busy keeping her laughter under control. She finally cleared her throat, and silence fell upon the group, interrupted by the soft "thoom" of distant gunfire.

Shepard led them up a hill from the spot of swamp, a series of defense towers peeking out over the rubble surrounding them. Clouds of smoke rising from points on the structures suddenly brought the feeling of unease back. Jenkins grin fell away, suddenly caught in the realization that his home had come under attack. The red skies punctuated by falling ash filled him with dread, his fingers tightened around his rifle as he followed after the Commander.

"Shepard, I think we've got something," Keith suddenly stated, pointing two fingers down the path along the cliff. She nodded, bringing up a fist to stop the others, as she scanned ahead. She paused momentarily, as she glanced between the rocks along the paths. Finally, she motioned towards Jenkins, who nodded and took point, leading the way up the path. His breath staggered suddenly as his feet pounded against the ground, his ears thumping with his heartbeat.

Keith's motion track program suddenly blared, something was moving towards them quickly, and he barely had time to scream, "Contact!" as a small cluster of flying devices zipped into view and fired upon Jenkins. He cried out in pain as the concentrated fire pierced through his shields and armor, tearing away at his midsection, searing the flesh and destroying his insides.

"Jenkins!" Keith screamed as the rest of the squad moved to cover, his weapon firing wildly towards the trio of robots realigning for another attack. His sudden attack destroyed one as the two others focused upon him, laser fire peppering the ground where he had been standing just prior, tracking him to a small rock on the ground.

"Open fire!" Shepard shouted to Kaiden, bringing her pistol to bear on the right. The hovering machines split apart from each other, evading the incoming plasma as they intended to burn away the hiding Operator.

Shepard calmly tracked her target, perforating the small metal being with gunfire, sending it smoldering to the ground as Kaiden closed his fist, telekinetically crushing the other from a distance, rending it into a smaller lump of metal and a puff of smoke. "Clear!" he declared, as Shepard moved to help Keith to his feet.

"You alright?" she asked, looking the Tech's suit over, making sure it was in one piece.

"Wasn't hit," he stated, brushing himself off, glancing over towards where Kaiden was knelt over Jenkins, "What about him?"

They reached Kaiden right as he closed the eyes of their fallen comrade, "Ripped right through his shields," he stated, turning to face the others, "Never had a chance."

"We'll see to it that he receives a proper service once the mission is complete," Shepard stated after a moment of silence, staring down at the fallen soldier. She then pointed at the others, "I need you two to stay focused, this is something serious we're into."

"Yes ma'am," Keith stated, watching as she knelt down and felt around Jenkins's neck, retrieving his tags. She held them before the squad for a moment, before tucking them into a small case on her belt. "Kaiden, take point."

The squad continued their way up the path, winding into a small grouping of trees that were suddenly populated by several of the flying devices, as if they had moved in after a murder of crows. The trio darted apart, taking various points to provide each other cover fire, as the assailants systematically tracked and pursued each sudden vulnerable target. Shepard ducked behind a log, fragments of which splintered overhead from a lone attacker, and she swatted her hand through the air, sending it forcefully to the side in a telekinetic push. She watched as it sailed through the air, colliding with another synthetic which sent the both of them spiraling away, the second spraying fire in Keith's direction, when a loud bursting sound punched through the air.

"Keith's been hit!" Kaiden shouted, as he crushed another with his biotics, rushing to help the technician. Shepard caught up as Kaiden found the operator, rolling on his back, moaning in what seemed like pain, though he appeared be free of burn marks, yet covered in a sickly yellow green.

"I'm fine.. I just... ugh, a gasser snuck up on me, and the things... shot it," he managed to choke out, his hands frantically wiping at the visor on his helmet, which was slathered in the mess. "I can't see!" he declared, as he moved his hands to unfasten his helmet. He eventually pulled it free, enabling him to see the laughing figures of his squad mates. He scowled at them as he got to his feet, muttering, "Dammit, Jenkins, you didn't mention how awful they could smell if that happened."

"Oh yes, they are harmless," Kaiden declared jokingly, keeping from doubling over in front of the others."

"Oh shut up and take point," Keith responded, attempting in vain to wipe some of the color off of his suit, much to the enjoyment of the others, "I feel so funky." He shook slightly, then reached down and retrieved his pistol, right as the sounds of repeating laser fire approached them.

Shepard ran towards the edge of a clearing, which brought them to the sight of a woman in bright white armor highlighted with pink stripes round the corner, a duo of hovering machines on her tail. A burst of gunfire slammed into her back shields, causing her to trip forward. The woman managed to take advantage, sliding along her back as she brought her sidearm to bear, squeezing off a series of shots that downed her pursuers.

"Well, I guess she's good," Keith stated, as he noted her standing up, peering off further towards the smoke she had left in her trail. Up the path a bit stood a pair of bipedal figures, holding what appeared to be one of the colonists to a strange machine mounted on three legs on the ground. Without warning, the mechanism activated, sending a large protruding spike through the victim's torso, jutting him several feet into the air, his limbs dangling from the sides.

"What in the hell?" Kaiden wondered aloud, as the two figures turned their way. Instead of any clear identifiable faces, they were met with the sight of a large circular beam of light emanating from their heads, accompanied by the strange audible stuttering sound. Their bodies were clearly of a synthetic nature, strange tubes connecting various body parts to another, and large prongs standing along the back of their metallic, patchwork bodies. The young woman quickly retreated further to cover, as the strange beings brought their similarly ugly looking weapons to bear.

"Move up!" Shepard shouted as she sprinted down the hill towards the same cover taken by the soldier, bringing her shotgun to bear down on the attackers, Kaiden providing cover fire as she ran.

The attackers seemed to instantly react to the new combatants, their loud stuttering sounds seeming to be all the communication they required, and they quickly opened fire. Plasma rapped against their shields as Keith flung a grenade in their direction, catching one in an electromagnetic pulse, which seemed to severely injure one of them. A split second later, the other figure had its sights trained on the operator, firing sets of bursts in his direction. This proved unfruitful as Shepard charged in from the side, putting the muzzle of her shotgun against the thing's torso and firing.

She collected her breath as she stood up, taking note of the immediate area as the two men moved to ascertain the status of the female soldier. She panted for a few moments, bent over with her hands on her knees, before standing upright, "Thanks for the help, I didn't think I was going to make it." She took a quick look at the three saviors, stopping when she noticed the proudly emblazoned N7 designation upon Shepard's chest, and snapping to salute.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212," she quickly stated, remaining at attention though seemingly out of breath, "You the one in charge here, ma'am?" Shepard gave her another look, letting her take a moment to steady herself, before nodding.

"Are you wounded, Williams?" Shepard asked, noting how the fire the woman had taken a few moments prior.

"A few scrapes and burns, nothing serious. The others weren't so lucky." Ashley huffed again, turning to scan the path she had just came barreling down on, "Oh man... We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We were trying to get off a distress call, but they cut our communications, and I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"What about the rest of your squad?" Shepard asked, as Keith moved towards the two shot down figures, scanning them with his omni-tool, curious about what they had just killed.

"We tried to double back to the beacon, but we walked into an ambush." Ashley paused as her gaze hit the ground, "I don't think any of the others... I think I'm the only one left."

"This isn't your fault, Williams, you couldn't have done anything to save them,"Shepard asserted, though she too warranted a glance back up the path.

"Yes ma'am. We held our position for as long as we could. Until the geth overwhelmed us."

Keith glanced up from his kneeling position by one of the bodies, blinking at her statement, "Wait... Geth? You think these are them?"

"The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly 200 years," Kaiden stated, noting Keith's confusion, "Why would they be here now?"

Ashley shrugged, "They must have come for the beacon. It's close, just over that rise. It might still be there."

Shepard nodded, turning back to the soldier, "We could use your help, Williams."

"Aye aye, ma'am," Ashley stated, rubbing her shoulder pad, "I could use some pay-back."

As the women continued speaking, Kaiden moved towards Keith, who was still scanning over the geth gunner, "So what do you think?"

"Honestly?" the technician started, getting a rather annoyed beep from his omni-tool, "I can't tell you anything. This probably is a geth, as far as I know. I figured they'd be moving, self sufficient synthetic beings, or something alike living robots or whatever. But, I can't get anything."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it's systems are dead. Apparently knocking out enough systems shuts and wipes the whole thing down." Keith sighed as he stood up, still unsatisfied from the readings. "Sure there's the layer of power lines running through it and everything, but it's like nothing's ever happened. Hell, even the battery's fried." He glanced back towards Shepard, hearing her ask about Nihlus, seeing if Ashley caught sight of him.

"Well, that's too bad, we could learn something more if they still had data on them. Too bad the quarians didn't program them that way."

A moment of silence followed, as Keith finally stated, "That's like running an autopsy on a guy to see if he likes sugar in his coffee." He gave an odd face to Kaiden, one akin to the feeling of someone running up and emptying a fountain pen on his shirt. "Sorry... I guess that's just how I'm seeing it, I do get your point."

"Sorry, like I said, no turians," Ashley told Shepard, shrugging as she glanced around again. The commander nodded, before glancing at the two men, seeing if they were ready for more trekking. "Move out, Kaiden, you're on point."

The squad continued through a trench, the dig site's marker standing out against the rubble, as well as a few geth sentries. They quietly moved up, taking new spots of cover, until Ashley felt she was close enough to unleash a hail of bullets in their direction. After a couple of grenades and biotic displays, the last of the synthetics slumped over the polished central pedestal. The geth had been standing on something that seemed to be placed into the earth, suddenly uncovered and supposedly just waiting to be found. The smooth marble-like area clicked against their boot heels as the marines made their way onto the ruins.

"This is it, the beacon was right here," Ashley stated, glancing around, "It must have been moved."

"Who do you think? Our side, or the geth?" Kaiden asked, kicking one of the synthetic bodies, which rolled off one of the steps with a dull "clunk."

"Can't say... maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp. That's most likely where someone would have fled," she responded, glancing up the hill.

A moment later, the radio pinged, "I've made a change of plans, Shepard," the Spectre's voice popped through, "There's a star-port up ahead, I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there."

Shepard nodded as she started up the hill, "Let's move folks."

The structures at the top of the hill seemed almost untouched, though the scenery was severely upset with the amount of large spikes protruding through the bodies of the various colonists. "That is just... grisly," Keith murmured as he moved towards them. He peered up at the body, his omni-tool running scans over the base of the machine. "What in the hell are thes-"

The machine cut him off as the base began to retract the spike, bringing the dangling corpse down to face level. The technician groaned audibly at the face of the victim, which was drastically changed from most human resemblance. Any hair that could have been on the skull was nowhere to be found, lines of blue, pulsating cords crisscrossed over the face, connecting over the muscles, tying to the various parts. He stared at the grotesque eye replacements, which seemingly became LED style lights, barely flickering as if something were running inside the body.

The others didn't seem to notice right away, until Keith screamed loudly, the body suddenly jerked towards him. He fell back as the spike's victim pulled itself away, resulting in a sickening detaching motion, sparks flying from the hole in the body, and the husk of what was once a human being threw itself on the bewildered young man.

"Oh, god! They're still alive," Kaiden shouted, as the other spikes began retracting, their victims audibly gasping and groaning for release. The squad opened fire as the bodies crackled with bursts of electricity, chasing after their assailants, as Keith wrestled with the one on top of him. He planted his pistol at the side of the husk's head and fired, resulting in a large sizzle as the body flared with energy, the lights flowing from the cracks in the body dieing out.

A moment of panic later, the husks were put down. "You okay?" Shepard asked the technician, who appeared to be a bit shaken.

"That wasn't a zombie, didn't try to bite," Keith attempted to joke, dusting himself off. A moment later, "Is this just going to happen to me all day?" he asked, kicking a rock on the ground. "I mean, I'm alive, at least, but still..." He trailed off as a series of whispers emanated from one of the nearby structures.

"Check that out," Shepard ordered, moving towards the door. As the lieutenant and chief took covering positions, Shepard watched as Keith hacked into the security pad on the door, swiftly opening the small shack, in which someone emitted a sharp gasp.

"Humans, thank the maker," stated a female in a field researcher outfit, a long smock type design integrated with gloves in the sleeves. Her arm patch designated that she indeed worked for the colony's research facilities, probably here for the beacon.

"Dr. Warren," Ashley said aloud, suddenly recalling her name, "You're with the dig crew. What happened to the beacon?"

"It was moved to the spaceport this morning," the doctor replied, waving an arm over the shack, "Manuel and I stayed behind to help pack up the camp. When the attack hit, we hid in here, while the marines bought us time. They saved us with their lives."

"No one is saved," whimpered a man, as he stepped into the light sliding through the shutters of the window, the name Dr. Manuel written across his patch. "The age of humanity has ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain."

Shepard glanced warily at Manuel, taking note of his constantly wringing hands and sweating, "Something wrong with your assistant?" she asked, glancing towards the first doctor.

"Manuel's always been a bit... unstable," Warren admitted, shrugging as she too scanned her assistant, "Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."

"That's uh... putting it..." Keith started to say, before trailing off. "Actually, I have no way of telling how you're putting that."

"Is it madness to see the end? To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape?" Manuel spurted out, his eyes suddenly cast upon Keith for his remark.

"Manuel, hush! I'm sorry," Warren spoke, holding a hand out as if to comfort Keith's sudden shock at the outburst, "I gave him extra medication after the attack, I've been trying to calm him down."

"Understandable, I mean, seriously cra... seriously bad things have been happening," the technician responded carefully, trying not to incite more mutterings from the stressed doctor.

"Any idea why the geth would be here for the beacon?" Shepard asked, trying to get more information out, still eyeing the wobbling madman.

"Well, it's some type of data module for a galaxy-wide network. It was found very well preserved, it could be the greatest scientific discovery of our lifetime," Warren went on, her eye line traveling to the ceiling as if in a deep trance, "Miraculous new technologies, ground-breaking medical advances, who knows what secrets are locked inside?"

"We have unearthed the heart of evil," Manuel spouted, his hands moving to his temples, rubbing vigorously, "Awakened the beast, unleashed the darkness!"

"Manuel, please," Warren spat, frustration showing in her eyes, "This isn't the time." She moved to take hold of his shoulders, to which he showed no response, still rubbing the sides of his head as she turned to move him to the corner again, away from the conversation.

"Well, ma'am," Keith spoke up, "Maybe you don't know, but did you happen to see a turian in the area?" He glanced at Shepard, shrugging lightly, hoping they'd have some idea as to what had happened to the Spectre.

"I saw him!" Manuel hissed, spinning out of his colleague's hands and pointing fiercely towards the technician. "The prophet, leader of the enemy. He was here! Before the attack!" he declared, directing his finger towards the window, as if he could spot him right outside at the very moment.

"That's impossible, Nihlus was with us on the Normandy before the attack," Kaiden assured the rest of the group, "He couldn't possibly have been here." He gave a frown at the doctor, as if hoping for more explanation, to which he only received a blank, wide-eyed stare.

"I'm sorry," Warren stated quietly, placing her hand back on Manuel's shoulder, "He's just... unsettled, we haven't seen your turian. We've been hiding here since the attack."

Shepard nodded, then turned to Ashley, "Williams, we need to get to the spaceport."

"You can't stop it, no one can. Night is falling," stammered Manuel, clutching his head again, as Warren directed him back to the cot along the floor, whispering hushes as she went. The squad made their way out of the shed, Keith locking the door again on the way out.

"Wow..." he stated as the squad moved towards the heart of the colony, "I'm really glad they don't give mad scientists guns. They'd just skip to shooting you in the head instead of dragging it out and making a monster out of science."

* * *

Nihlus crept his way through the beaten buildings, picking his way from cover to cover, avoiding any attention, getting closer to the spaceport. He spotted a figure moving in front of a small blaze, and ducked behind a cargo container. He checked his rifle, readying himself for combat, and quickly sprang from cover, only to freeze as he recognized the face the lone figure.

"Saren?" he asked, lowering his weapon as he ascertained the identity of the being in front of him.

The turian he was referring to turned, his eyes coldly glimpsing over the face of the one who just spoke his name out loud. His body was crisscrossed in tubes and grafted plates, scars and skin replacements covering his body and armor, his face reinforced with bits of synthetic materials. He finally spoke, quietly, hissing, "_Nihlus_."

"What are you doing here? This isn't your mission Saren," Nihlus stated, letting one hand leave his rifle as he gestured towards the other turian.

Saren strode over, placing a hand on Nihlus's shoulder, "The Council thought you could use some help on this one," he stated, his stride continuing to move him past as he took stock of the debris that surrounded them, looking for any signs of life or movement.

Nihlus sighed audibly, glancing up at the area, noting the numbers of spikes here and there, the fires, destroyed buildings. "I wasn't expecting to find the geth here. The situation's bad," he admitted, his eyes running over the cargo nearby.

"Don't worry," Saren asserted, as he turned around, pointing a pistol at the back of his fellow Spectre's head, "I've got it under control."

* * *

Lord, that one took some writing. I really did not look forward to the Eden Prime mission, it's kinda like one big lump of just, "Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Eventually you get there, but looking back, it seems to take longer than ever.

Yes, I was one of the few despaired over the untimely demise of Jenkins, but I won't be taking it to too much an extreme, I hope. Again, I keep writing this with the feeling I'm not detailing enough, but at the same time if I tried explaining every little bit we'll be here forever, and like most people wanting to do a Mass Effect run, they want to get through the first part quickly.

I'll be wrapping up the Eden Prime mission soon, folks. Please, review, tell me I suck, give suggestions, I'd like them.


	4. 3 What is to Come?

_by Joshua Scott_

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicitly stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware._

**What is to Come**

The echo of the pistol discharging rebounded off the large ridges of earth and rock around the crew, who quickly pulled their firearms to bear. Shepard glanced around warily, her eyes scanning for any threatening looking figures in the debris surrounding them. A moment later, she waved her hand forward, driving the squad forward over the small hill. They finally came within sight of the space port to the colony, an industrial area designed for off-and-on loading cargo to the various spacecraft that docked in the area. Various containers were strewn about, though they appeared to have been placed in a manner to allow uninterrupted delivery of the beacon to the Normandy should everything have gone as planned.

A loud humming sound suddenly filled the air, as a distant yet incredibly large structure lifted from the ground, kicking the winds in the area into a frenzy as the surface flared with bursts of electricity.

"What is that?" Kaiden shouted, pointing towards the slowly ascending monstrosity.

"It's a ship," asserted Ashley, her rifle dropping to her side as she stood mouth agape, "Look at the size of it."

"That's insane," Keith muttered softly, yet still audibly enough to catch the others' attention, "Something that size has to have a seriously powerful mass drive..." He flicked his arm, bringing his omni-tool up in a snap. He ran his free hand over the keys, frowning as the programs bleeped with static and error messages, "Dammit, I can't get this to work properly, I wanted to see if something like this was ever seen before."

"What, with the geth running around?" Kaiden responded, giving the technician a funny look, "I wouldn't be that surprised if we're some of the first to see it."

"Heh... maybe," Keith admitted, rubbing his scarred chin, "Might be something they could have built... but that's such a weird look. I mean... it looks like a cross between a squid and a beetle" He shrugged, "I dunno, something seems off."

Shepard stared curiously up towards the disappearing insect-like appendages of the ship, which crept up through the thick, red clouds, taking the loud humming sound with it. She blinked once, her gaze falling back to the space port, and gripped her shotgun, "Let's move people," she stated, taking the lead as she carefully managed her way down the hill.

It appeared as though the ominous spacecraft were leaving before the job was finished, as a small team of Geth soldiers patrolled the area. Ashley again opened fire once she had moved into a reasonable enough distance, sending the mechanized gunmen into alert. A series of the large spike structures descended as more of the strange mechanical husks tore themselves from the murder devices, throwing themselves towards the bullets of the human team.

"Don't let them get too close," Keith yelled, taking precise aim at the heads of the changed creatures, feeling his guts wrench every time one dropped. What was once a living human being with a life, history, family perhaps, fell rasping out screams towards those they would attack. It certainly also didn't help that they would give off a burst of electricity that had the nasty habit of shorting out the batteries in the fire team's weapons.

The last of the bodies fell, Kaiden yelling out, "Clear," as he surveyed the area. Not a single stutter could be heard within the immediate vicinity, a mess of destroyed cargo, some caught in a blaze slowly eating away at the contents. "Geez, you think anyone else survived this?" he asked, turning towards the rest of the crew.

Keith nodded as Ashley turned to give the Lieutenant a dirty look, sounding off about her feelings on the matter, as the technician took the lead, moving up the ramp to the cargo area of the base. A moment later, he called out, "Commander... I found Nihlus."

Nihlus was in no position to state his wellbeing, a round and frayed hole dug into his skull from the side, a pool of deep blue blood pooling around the intrusion. His body lay upon the smoothly built floor, an arm bent upwards as if something were bothering his neck right before he was shot. Shepard grimaced as she peered over the body of the dead Spectre, the same who decided to join their mission to overlook her actions.

"Something's moving behind those crates," Ashley shouted, bringing the sights of her rifle up to track the figure scuffling about. Shepard snapped out of her gaze upon the dead Turian, and stood up to see the startled man behind the crates throw his hands up.

"No, wait, don't shoot!" the frightened man shouted, palms open to the squad, "I'm one of you, I'm human!"

"Sneaking up on us like that almost got you killed," Shepard declared, bringing her pistol down, although her squad mates kept their weapons trained upon the man.

"I'm sorry, I was hiding from those creatures," he admitted, nervously glancing between the barrels of the firearms, a few beads of sweat running down his forehead. "My name's Powell," he added, gesturing to himself, before glancing down at the dead alien at their feet, "I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."

"Wait," Keith spoke up, lowering his pistol, "There was another turian?" He shared a nervous sideways glance with Shepard, "You sure it wasn't the geth?"

Powell nodded shakily, pointing at Nihlus's still body, "Yeah, the other one got here first, he was waiting when your friend showed up. He called the other one Saren... I think they knew each other." The worker wrung his hands and shifted slightly, his eyes darting about as he made sure the only things alive he could see at the moment were human, or human enough. "Your friend seemed to relax, let his guard down... and Saren killed him, shot him right in the back." He pulled all but his pointer and middle fingers to a fist, pretending to shoot himself in the back of the head with the click of his thumb. "I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Shepard glanced down once more at Nihlus, then back again to the nervous man, "Where'd Saren go after he killed Nihlus?" she asked, her eyes locking with his.

"He jumped on the cargo train, headed towards the other platform. He's probably going after the beacon," he stated, pointing in the direction of the transport. "I knew that beacon was gonna be trouble. Everything went to hell, first that mother-ship, then the attack. They killed everyone... if I wasn't back here I'd be dead," he went on, growing quieter as the realization that the words coming out of his mouth were indeed true.

"How come you're the only one that survived, didn't anyone else try to jump behind the crates with you?" Shepard asked, noting the amount of space in the area.

"They... didn't have a chance," Powell stated, placing his hands on the crate in front of them, "I was already back here when the attack happened."

"Wait a second," Kaiden interrupted him, waving a hand as if to grab control of the conversation for a moment, "You were behind the crates before the attack hit?"

"I..." the worker stammered, as he brought up the nerve, "Sometimes I need a nap to get through my shift, I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me."

"You survived because you're lazy?" Ashley spat, her face twitching in a way that concluded she couldn't possibly accept that reason could work in the circumstances.

"Lucky you," Keith added, "If you hadn't, you'd be dead like everyone else."

"Yeah..." Powell admitted, turning to view the wreckage the area had turned into, "Yeah I guess you're right... I don't really wanna think about that."

Keith nodded as he moved to the side a bit, peering down at the cargo train. He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to the squad, "Guys?" he stated softly hoping to grab their attention.

"And... it was making this noise, it just... bored into your head, right into your brain," Powell went on, nobody noticing the technician's statements for attention, "That's what woke me up. The attack came a few minutes later."

"Guys?" Keith stated again, reaching over his shoulder to unhook his assault rifle from the holster-magnet on his back, "We've got company," he stated, as a small group of Geth swarmed over the platform to the train. A moment later, a faster scouting soldier popped it's head around the corner, opening fire on the armored humans.

"Return fire, push up," Shepard barked, pulling her shotgun up to her hip and blasting shards of cybernetic being over the ramp towards the train. Powell smartly ducked behind the crate again, yelping as the loud chatter of gunfire filled his eardrums.

The Commander charged the way forward, as the others provided covering fire, flitting between spaces and cover, the synthetic assailants only switching targets as they became visibly aware of them. Soon the two forces had taken opposing positions on a narrow catwalk built over a sudden drop in the ground.

"Big one coming!" Kaiden shouted as he ducked behind cover again, the plinking sounds of plasma forming dents in the metal barricade he was using. Ashley stood and opened fire as projectiles pinged off of her shields, which seemed to hasten the stride of the larger geth soldier.

"Keep it up," Keith yelled towards Ashley, as he trained his sighting upon a fuel canister, laid haphazardly along the walking path. He exhaled sharply as he fired on it, puncturing the shell of the canister right as the Juggernaut soldier stormed past it, catching its metallic body in flames. The geth giant seemed unperturbed by the sudden explosion, only mildly registering the fact that it was now ablaze, as Shepard sprinted forward, sweeping an open palm upwards in front of the enemy. The synthetic floated upwards, supported by a strange, hazy purple glow, as Shepard reared back and swung forward with a balled fist, sending the giant flying backwards with a biotic shove, landing upon the remnants of the geth force.

Shepard continued sprinting forwards, leaping over the bodies of the downed targets, yelling back at the squad, "Hurry up, we need to get to that beacon!"

"Damn... whatta woman," Kaiden muttered, which earned him a very discomforted look from the other two soldiers, as he moved to catch up.

Ashley glared after the Lieutenant before Keith piped up, "Ah don't worry about him, I think you're a helluva girl," he stated, patting her on the shoulder as he ran to the cargo train. She shot him a dirty look as she too made to catch up, hopping on right as Shepard thumbed the button to transit to the other platform.

Moments later, the train whined down to a halt at the connecting platform, right as the Operator's omnitool rang out a warning. He glanced down at his arm, then back up at the large, ugly canister waiting along the floor of the spaceport. A faint beeping eminated from the device, and Kaiden shouted out, "Demolition charges!"

The team scrambled over to the device, as Keith tapped a few lights on his arm, waving his hand, wrapped in the orange hologram, over the bomb. "Give me a bit," he stated, turning back to nod at his squad, "This isn't encrypted at all, it'll only take a few seconds."

Shepard nodded as the sound of metal scraping rapidly against metal caught her ear, and she turned to blast the first Geth figure at the top of the nearby ramp. "Give him some cover," she commanded Kaiden, as she gestured for Ashley to follow her up. They reached the top as Ashley began spraying fire, sending the synthetics diving into cover.

"Stick that flashlight head out again, I just wanna say hi," Ashley screamed down the catwalk, her eye trained down the barrel of her rifle. A second later, and one Geth soldier revealed it's head, which promptly received her barrage.

"Okay, we're good," Keith shouted, as he stood up, bringing his pistol to bear as he and Kaiden made their way to the other soldiers, "Come on, there's bound to be more."

Shepard nodded as she waved a hand forward, "Let's move folks, we need to get these things turned off," she stated, as she stormed down the catwalk, perforating the chest of another synthetic.

The spaceport seemed to squat on the other side of the same canyon-like stretch which divided the cargo area before hand. The ramps and catwalks swirled around one side, before reaching out to the other, as the Geth huddled on the far side of the Spaceport, firing at the humans in vain, who quickly made their way across the strip of a walkway.

"One to the left," Keith stated as they reached the spaceport side, "No hostiles," he added, as he quickly ducked behind the support beams, waving his hand over the demolition charge. Shepard nodded as she pointed down the opposite direction, "Move up," she stated, as she flexed her hand and brought it down, covering herself in the biotic glow. The enemy's retaliation seemed to have far less of an impact on her shields now, as she calmly strode forward, her shotgun barking in her hands.

The geth retreated momentarily, as Shepard pointed forwards to two spots, "Ashley, Kaiden, take cover," she shouted, as she noticed a third explosive charge set on her left. "Keith, hurry up," she called over the radio.

"I'm coming," the operator replied, as the device he had been working on ceased its functions and shut down, and the young man sprinted towards the group. He quickly knelt down at the third charge, nodding at Shepard as he fired up the programs on his omnitool, "I guess they really didn't think we were coming," he stated, watching as the estimated time displayed on his omnitool quickly dwindled.

"They're machines," Kaiden shouted back, as he pushed a synthetic into the gorge beneath the walkway, "I don't think they really guess all that well." He laughed slightly, until a ping off his shoulder sent him further into cover.

"Well gee, I think I'll get them all," Ashley stated, popping from her cargo crate and sweeping the deck with gunfire. A hasty trio of geth were shut down as the Operator cleared the charge, and the squad moved forward again, finding one more charge hiding behind the last support beam.

"This should be the last one," Keith remarked, as he quickly fired up the programs, "Detector's not going off like crazy anymore."

Shepard nodded as she peered down a nearby ramp to the landing area, presumably where the enemy had landed and were apparently enacting a retreat. She glanced over as a few remaining beams of light scurried around the various crates and walkways. "Alright boys and girls," she stated, jerking her head in the direction of the landing area, "Let's clean this place up."

After a brief moment and a thumbs-up from the Operator, they quickly made their way down the ramp, picking off the remaining geth and activated husk creatures. Finally, everything fell quiet, as the last synthetic slumped over. "Clear!" Kaiden called out.

Shepard nodded and placed her shotgun back in it's magnetic holster, the sounds of the gun's body hissing and clicking as it folded inwards, going dormant to save on its battery. She peered towards the outlook platform, as waves of heat shimmered the air off in the distance.

The squad made their way towards the guardrail of the platform, peering out into the distance. They were greeted with the sight of twisted, melting metal and earth, as a vast crated filled with lava was in the process of crusting over, still glowing from the intense heat.

"My god," Ashley said with a gasp, "It's like someone dropped a bomb."

"That must be where the geth ship landed," Kaiden added, as he squinted from the light.

The commander grimaced as she peered left and right, before catching sight of the tall and slender frame of the beacon. It seemed to give off a faint, green glow, which was matched by the thin spear of light shooting from the top onwards into space.

The team moved towards the Prothean device, staring up at the thing in awe. "Woah," so that's the beacon?" Kaiden muttered aloud, his hand running absentmindedly along the back of his helmet.

"It wasn't doing anything like that when we found it," Ashley declared, shaking her head as she glanced back to Shepard.

"Oh, Commander," Keith spoke up, his eyes scanning his arm, "Radio uplink just established again, you wanna give the call?" he asked, patting the helmet hanging from his belt, still smeared in the local creature's mess.

Shepard nodded as she took a step away from the beacon, "Normandy, this is shore party, requesting a pickup," he started, as Kaiden and Ashley moved back to her.

Keith glanced back at the beacon, noting the odd glow, "Hey, I'm going to give this thing a scan, make sure it's in one piece," he said aloud, thinking the others heard him as he moved towards the artifact, his fingers pinging over his omnitool's interface.

"Roger, standing by," Shepard concluded, as she turned to the rest of the squad, filling Kaiden and Ashley in on the call, before Keith's actions caught her eye.

As the Operator neared the strange structure, it seemed to throb and pulse, as the green light flushed outwards, catching Keith off guard as an unseen force grabbed at his limbs, pulling him forward. He winced as he attempted to back up, the strange pulling force switching from his arms, to his chest, then slowly made it's way up, until he felt something collide with him in the back. He let out a startled yelp as Shepard had grabbed him, then flung him backwards to the feet of their squadmates, before the force turned its grip to her. Keith shook his head as he got his bearings, and glanced up at the commander right as she was lifted off the ground, hovering a few feet above the floor in front of the beacon.

"Shepard!" Keith yelled, as he made to his feet, before getting pulled back by the arm.

"No!" Kaiden barked, pulling him back, "Don't touch her, it's dangerous!" He too watched as Shepard seemed to convulse in midair, her body silhouetted in the light from the beacon.

"We need to do something," Ashley declared, her head darting back and forth from the men to the floating Shepard. She was answered momentarily, as the device let out a strange, warbled howl and suddenly burst, sending the commander flying back to the squad's feet.

Keith fell to her side, "Shepard, you hear me?" he asked aloud, hoping to get a response. "Ah crap, tell me I didn't just get the hero of the Blitz killed," he muttered, moving to take her helmet off, "Kaiden, give the Normandy an update, we need medical!"

"It's okay, she's breathing," Ashley attempted to calm Keith down, "She's still got a pulse, she's okay." The two of them studied Shepard's body as they took stock of her condition, "Think she got knocked out," Ashley added, "Hope she doesn't have a concussion."

"I doubt it," Keith stated, bringing up a medical diagnostic program on his omnitool, "She's pretty tough, that helmet probably took a lot of any impact as well." He peered at her face, noting her eyes, "That's... weird."

"Roger, Normandy, standing by," Kaiden finished up with his call, "They'll be here in five." He shook his head as he glanced to the sky, "What a mess, we lost too many."

"We're not losing her," Ashley growled at him, "She's too damn tough."

"I hope you're right," Kaiden replied, kneeling down with them, "The galaxy will be worse off without her."

* * *

Holy heck that should not have taken this long. I apologize folks, a lot of things were happening. I fell sick at one point, I ruined my keyboard, had to get a new one, then the computer started bogging down, and I went and upgraded almost everything. Then the Xbox started freezing up, and couldn't play anything for quite a while. So I just got the game on PC, thank goodness I didn't have to get far into it.

Again, apologies for ingame dialogue usage, I promise more original stuff next time. Now that the Eden Prime mission is over, I should be able to write far more easily.

I'll get to work on the next chapter really soon. Please review, tell me what you like, what you don't like, that I suck, whatever. I enjoy the feedback.


	5. 4 Catching up

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicitly stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware_

_by Joshua Scott_

**Catching Up**

Kaiden grunted slightly as he carried the Commander's unconcsious body out of the airlock, the onboard VI voice declaring their suits to be clean, much to Keith's comfort. The team swiftly moved towards the rear of the ship, where the stairs would lead them to the medical bay, as crew members stepped to the side to make way.

'Well this is not gonna be good,' Keith thought to himself, as Captain Anderson awaited them by the Navigation's center, moving to catch the squad's stride. "What happened?" the Captain fired off, as Kaiden continued moving down the steps, a soldier pressing himself against the stairway's wall to grant more space before snapping a salute to the commanding officer.

"Something happened with the Prothean beacon, sir," Keith stated, as he walked by his superior's side, "It appeared to suddenly activate and draw whoever was closest in." He fell silent for a moment as he watched the medical bay's door hiss open, revealing Doctor Chakwas and an assistant readying a medical stretcher for the Commander. "I believe it activated when I tried scanning the device."

"So a safeguard mechanism?" Anderson questioned, placing his hand against his chin, as he attempted to discern the report.

"Perhaps..." Keith started, noting his squad's attempts to further help the doctor, which were all declined, "Wouldn't you want a full debrief, sir?"

"You're right," Anderson stated, turning to catch the Operator's eye, "You and the squad go ahead and hit the armory, I'll expect you in the comms room in ten. Chief Williams there can use Jenkins's locker."

"Aye aye, Captain," Keith said, as the two faced each other for a quick salute. Anderson quickly turned and made his way to his cabin, as Keith turned to Ashley and Kaiden.

Minutes later, Keith stood with a hand placed on the visual monitor, his omnitool feeding the device with footage of the mission. He nodded to Anderson, having just finished giving a brief outline of what had happened, and waited for the Captain's response.

"This found all sorts of ways to go wrong," Anderson admitted, moving up towards the screen, taking in the various pictures in. "Of all the things we could have been attacked by, it turns out to be a machine race that hasn't been sighted by a Citadel race for over 300 years." He shook his head as he turned back to the squad, Kaiden, who had been sitting nervously in his chair, his elbows on his knees as he attempted to keep from staring at the floor in defeat, and Ashley, who's frame sat up still, unsure how to act around new command on a ship that had only been finished a few days prior.

"I tried getting information from them, but apparently the Geth fry up everything once they're 'killed,'" He stated, tapping a series of buttons on his omnitool, as more images flew on screen. "We have no real information to suggest why they came to Eden Prime, other than the obvious mayhem. They had these devices that were turning the civilians into these... monsters." He clicked his thumb and forefinger together, as a picture of one of the husk creatures came on screen.

"So they found something to re-purpose our bodies?" Anderson queried aloud, glanced to Keith, "Sounds like something machines would do."

"That's barbaric," Ashley muttered, shaking her head as her arms crossed over her chest, "Something that can just undo everything that makes you human."

"This is something we'll need to discuss with the Council," Anderson replied, turning to nod at Ashley.

"Speaking of which, later in the mission, we discovered that Nihlus, our Turian Spectre guest," Keith stated, as he flicked his fingers, bringing up the appropriate picture, "Was killed by a gunshot to the head." He paused for a moment, should Anderson wanted to make a statement, but he stayed silent, staring at the screen. "It appears it was close range, which would mean that someone snuck up on him, which is pretty unheard of."

"Or if that someone was someone he knew and trusted," Kaiden added, sitting up in his chair as Anderson turned towards him.

"Right," Keith continued, flicking again, "According to a witness, one surviving dock worker, Nihlus ran into an old buddy, let his guard down, and paid for it." He squeezed his fist and glanced up at the screen, as Powell's frightened face moved into action.

"My name's Powell," he began, the footage replaying his statements, as Anderson watched intently, "I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."

"Wait," Keith's voice answered over from off to the side of the camera, "There was another turian? You sure it wasn't the geth?"

Powell nodded shakily, "Yeah, the other one got here first, he was waiting when your friend showed up. He called the other one Saren... I think they knew each other." The worker wrung his hands and shifted slightly, his eyes darting about, "Your friend seemed to relax, let his guard down... and Saren killed him, shot him right in the back." He pulled all but his pointer and middle fingers to a fist, pretending to shoot himself in the back of the head with the click of his thumb. "I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Anderson's eyes widened as Powell went on, before turning to ask, "He said Saren was there?"

"Yes," Keith responded, pausing the feed, "That appears to be what the name was. I'm assuming with the few people a Spectre would know, that the other would then be..."

"A Spectre as well," Anderson concluded for Keith, placing his hand on his chin, thinking hard. "And I know a certain Spectre named Saren," he added, turning to gaze off to the side.

"Uh... sir?" Kaiden asked, looking back and forth between the other crewmembers, as if one of them had an explanation.

"Kaiden, go tell Pressly to get us moving to the Citadel, and tell Joker we need to be there yesterday," Anderson commanded, turning with an purposeful glare.

"Aye aye, sir," Kaiden replied quickly, snapping to his feet with a salute, and turning to move quickly out of the comms room.

"Sunderland," Anderson continued with his orders, turning to the Operator, "I want copies of that information sent to my console, then go and assist Chakwas in anything she may need.

"Got it," he said, pulling his hand from the projetcion device as he quickly made his way out of the room as well, his hand moving into a flurry of button presses along his left arm.

"Williams?" Anderson barked, turning to the young woman.

"Yes, sir?" she replied, standing up and snapping to attention.

"Welcome to the Normandy, get yourself acquainted."

* * *

"Doc! She's waking up!" Keith hollered, moving to the side of Shepard's bed as she sat up. He hand went to her forehead, her eyes crammed shut, as if trying to get rid of a headache, before the sound of footsteps called her attention to Doctor Chakwas, an aged woman, her silver hair falling to her jawline, as she scanned the commander over.

"You had us worried there, commander," she stated, taking a pen in hand from the nearby desk, "How are you feeling?" She smiled warmly as she waited for a response, glancing back towards the now unsettled operator.

"A bit of throbbing," Shepard spoke, shaking her head slowly, "Nothing serious... how long was I out?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder, seeing who the doctor was looking at. She nodded respectfully as she met Keith's eyes, which were flashing nervously.

"About 15 hours," Chakwas replied, glancing over her chart, "I believe something happened down there with the beacon."

"It's my fault," Keith stated, "I must have triggered something when I went to give it a scan. I might've made a security function go off." He frowned as he clenched his hands, looking back at Shepard. "I'm really sorry about that."

She smiled a bit, her eyes closing again, "You had no idea that could happen, don't worry about it."

"We don't even know if that's what set it off in the first place," Chakwas added, speaking more towards the operator, "And I don't think we'll ever find out."

"The beacon exploded while you were... um, held up, must have been damaged" Keith added, moving around Shepard's bed to Chakwas's side, "You were knocked out cold. Kaiden, Williams, and myself had to get you back to the ship."

Shepard moved to sit up more, still smiling, "Thanks for that," she said, blinking slightly to clear her vision.

"I've noted that you've been having strange brain readings," Chakwas interrupted again, going down her clipboard, "An abnormal amount of beta waves... and an increase of your rapid eye movements. Have you been... dreaming anything?"

Shepard rubbed her temple as she sat over the foot of the bed, "The beacon gave me this vision," she admitted, glancing down at the floor, "I saw... I'm... I'm not sure what I saw... Death, most likely, just... the death of everyone."

"Well that's... crazy," Keith stated, glancing between the two women, "I think I'm suddenly glad you got me out of the way," he added, giving a weak smile to Shepard.

"Hmm, yes, I'll have to record this in... oh, Captain," Chakwas trailed off, turning her attention to Anderson as he walked into the medical bay, the door hissing shut behind him.

"How's our XO holding up?" the captain asked, turning to look over Shepard as he came to a stop near the bed.

"Physically she's fine, captain," Chakwas noted, looking over her documents, "But I think she should take it easy for a little while."

"Agreed," Anderson stated, "Well, I need to speak to Shepard in private," he stated, folding his hands behind his back.

"Yes sir," Keith replied, giving off a small salute, "I'll be in the mess should you need anything."

"You should be in the mess," Chakwas spoke aloud, "Haven't eaten anything since you got back, come on." She smiled lightly as Keith gave a rather disconcerted look, before the pair of them walked out of the medical bay.

"Er, thanks for reminding me," Keith spoke softly to Chakwas, as they strode out towards the table. He had only just realized his stomach's demands for nutrients, which appeared to be rumbling loud enough for others to hear.

The medic laughed, "Well, I should get something as well, before we manage to touch down at the Citadel," she spoke, moving to take a seat, "Unless you're looking to get something to eat on while we're docked."

"Well, I've heard of a few good restaurants," Keith joked, laughing with her, "But I'm not sure I'd get the chance." He glanced to the side for a moment, then brought his attention back to her, "I'm just going to grab something."

"That's fine, make it two," Chakwas declared warmly, waving a hand as if to urge him towards the storage area.

Keith made his way to the countertops, quickly pulling out a pair of small containers and checking their labels. Satisfied, he began preparing the meals, as the hiss of the medical bay door opened. He turned to check over his shoulder, as Shepard walked out with Anderson, nodding as he detailed something to her, which Keith couldn't hear. He watched as Anderson made a few, brief gestures, then turned to head up to the bridge. Soon enough, Shepard turned and headed in Keith's direction.

"Well, I guess I won't be needing sleep anytime soon," Shepard remarked, smiling at Keith as she swiftly pulled a ration's container from the drawers and began preparing her meal alongside the Operator. She nudged him lightly, "No Prothean nightmares for you?"

"Heh, no, nothing of that sort," Keith said nervously, making sure to watch his food as it cooked, "I think maybe you pulled me out before it seriously went to work." He shrugged as he glanced up towards the ceiling, "Still, it bites that the thing decided to blow up in our faces."

"I do believe it was mostly myself that was in the path of the explosion," Shepard pointed out, smiling as she tore open a drink packet, mixing the contents with water from the ship faucet. "In any case, I didn't want my squad coming to harm."

"Ah, the overprotective leader," he replied, pulling his food from the warmer and placing Chakwas's in his other hand, "I've seen that in action before, no doubt it's something you don't lose that quickly," he added, walking back towards the mess table.

Shepard blinked as she stared after Keith, her hands idly finishing up with making her meal, before she followed after him. She smiled at Chakwas, before sitting down next to Keith, "Thanks doctor, I appreciate your help in all of this."

"Oh don't thank me," Chakwas stated, mixing her food with a spoon, "Your squad certainly helped, Keith here more than enough." She laughed slightly from Keith's face, a look of slight bother, as she took a bite of her meal.

"Well thank you, anyway," Shepard reiterated, digging into her meal as well. After a moment of silence, she finally asked, "You know, Keith, there's something that's been bugging me."

Keith stopped, fork hovering slightly apart from his lips, as he turned to the Commander, "Pardon?" he asked, before moving the food to his mouth.

"I just... where did you happen to get that scar?" she finally asked, her green eyes scanning his chin intently, her fork idly twirling in her food.

Keith blinked slightly, giving off a small "Um..." as his mouth was full. He attempted chewing the bite down in size, as Chakwas finally spoke up, "You don't recall Keith here?"

Shepard gave a look of confusion, "I mean, it looks familiar, but I don't remember serving with a Sunderland before." She gave a small shrug as she watched Keith attempt to swallow the food, clearing his mouth with a drink.

He slid his tongue around his teeth, attempting to clear out the leftover bits, as he ran his left hand up to the neck of his uniform, tugging the collar down. Finally, he managed to expose a pair of markings, two identical bolts of lightning etched in a tattoo upon his chest. "Elysium," he finally spoke, giving off a rather amused smirk.

The Commander stared at the tattoo for a moment, before exclaiming, "Oh, wait a minute." She gave an astonished look, "Now I remember you, I haven't seen you since then."

Chakwas gave a short laugh as she watched the pair opposite of her seat, "This would have been an interesting trip, the two of you never saying hello again."

"Yeah, well, at least I would have known," Keith joked, returning to his food, though with an amused grin tingling to crack away at the corners of his mouth.

Shepard shook her head, as she leaned back from the table, "Oh come on, I try my damndest to remember everyone I serve with, I've done lots of things since then." She narrowed her glare at Chakwas, who continued giving off small chuckles, like a child laughing at an inside joke at the dinner table.

"I understand, being hero you kinda got swept up in everything," Keith stated, having just finished his food, "But I wouldn't be surprised if the entire galaxy wanted you to remember them."

"Well, it might go that way," she replied, taking a sip from her cup, "Apparently there's talk about me becoming a Spectre." Instantly, Chakwas laugh faded away, as her brow raised in interest.

"Really now?" the doctor responded, giving her attention to the Commander.

"Yes, well," Shepard started, waving a hand dismissively, "That was what Nihlus was here for, he was examining me. Thing is," she stated, trailing off, trying to find the appropriate words.

"Thing is... he's dead," Keith summed up for her, "And now the Council is gonna be very unhappy with what happened."

"We did all we could," Shepard sighed as she finished off her own meal, "Hopefully, they'll see we did nothing wrong in this mission." She stared off towards the side for a moment, "I'm just hoping I didn't mess up our image."

"Oh come on, Shepard," Keith stated, stretching his back a bit, "If anyone can make Spectre, I believe it's you. In any case," he continued, looking at his drink cup, as if he could dissern the future within the swirling liquid, "We gotta do something about this Saren character."

"I haven't forgotten about Saren, and I don't plan to," Shepard spoke sternly, as a small beeping sound rang from the ceiling.

"We will be docking at the Citadel within the hour, all crew prepare for docking procedure, ETA one hour," Joker's voice rang from the intercom, before clicking off again.

Chakwas stood up, picking her plate of food up, "Well, I should be getting back to medical," she mentioned, "You two go see the sights for me."

"Sure thing, doc," Keith said with a smile, moving to rinse off his plate, "Anything you'd like me to get while I'm ashore? I'm running stock."

The medical officer smiled and shook her head, "No thank you, we've got plenty of supplies still." She turned on her heel, "Thank you for the meal, Sunderland, I hope you enjoy seeing the Citadel. Shepard," she added, nodding respectively as she made back for the medical bay.

Keith gave a short wave as he made towards the stairs up to the bridge, stopping to turn back, "You coming Shepard?"

The Commander moved to catch up, nudging him in the shoulder again, "Keith," she stated, stalling long enough on the stairs, "It's Marty, remember? You've earned the right to call me that."

* * *

"Well kids, we're just about there," Joker stated nonchalantly as he glanced over his shoulder for a brief second, eyeing Ashley, the only crewmember who appeared to have nothing to do at the moment.

"Finally," Ashley announced, moving away from the spot on the wall she was leaning against, "I've never been there before, I'm excited."

"Well, you should tone down on that," Kaiden responded, looking back from his seat by the pilot, "We're going to be meeting with the ambassador, and most likely the Council will want to speak with us."

"Aww," she said, moving to prop herself by her hands on the headrest of Kaiden's seat, "Something boring to do first." She paused for a moment, staring off into the space beyond the Normandy's forward windows, "You got any advice for how to act around politicians?"

Kaiden paused for a moment, "Well, standard procedure runs in this case, just salute whatever you can't eat or kill." He smiled for a moment, turning back to see if Ashley appreciated the joke, as Marty and Keith strode up from the rear of the bridge. "Commander," he quickly stated, snapping into a quick salute.

Marty nodded as Keith moved to take his seat next to Joker, "So how are we doing up here?"

"Good timing, Commander, I was about to bring us into the Citadel," Joker spoke warmly, watching as Keith keyed in a connecting code to a comms channel, "See that tax payer money at work."

Soon the ship instantaneously appeared next to a Relay gate, assuming a standard velocity, as if the whole was hardly rattled it made it halfway across the galaxy in the blink of an eye, and still kept its drink upright. The swirls of dust clouds enveloped the ship as Joker directed them on a circular path, curving downwards, or at least downwards in regards to the occupants of the ship, and soon the cool glow of the Widow nebula greeted them, silhouetting the large, glittering Citadel. An enormous structure of five arms pointed outwards from their inner ring connection, slowly turning in within its own orbit. small dots of lights raced up and down the arms, most likely small vehicles carrying thousands to millions of citizens and visitors along the multiracial pride of the galaxy.

Ashley excitedly peered out of the portside window, gazing at the jewel of the Prothean technologies, before her eye caught a much smaller, yet still massively made ship, compared to the Normandy, "Wow, look at the size of that ship!"

"The Ascension," Kaiden piped up, sitting up in his seat in case his superiors were looking his way, "Flagship of the Citadel fleet."

The ship they were speaking of very much resembled the Citadel it self, a large, smooth structure that resembled one of Earth's ocean fish, with fins protruding from its top, bottom, and opposing sides arranged around an oval-shaped ring. The oval itself glowed brightly, most likely the mass effect drive's systems being built in and around the central area.

"Well size isn't everything," Joker muttered aloud, patting his armrest as if to console the Normandy, a very small craft compared to most others.

"Woah now, I don't think we need to be compensating," Keith fired back in a loud whisper, a smile playing on his lips, giving in to an air of humor.

"Why so touchy Joker?" Ashley added, hearing Keith's comment, glancing back at the Pilot as his hands flew across his screen.

"I'm just saying, you need firepower too," Joker quickly shot back, most likely without thinking, as he was more focused on bringing the ship to match the spin of the Citadel's arms.

"Look at that monster," Ashley declared, waving a hand out the window, "It's main gun could rip through the barrier of any ship in the Alliance fleet!"

"Good thing it's on our side then," Kaiden quipped, smiling at the women as he too worked his fingers across the board.

"Yeah, too bad we'll never get to fly on it," Keith jumped into the conversation, glancing over at Joker, who finally cracked a smile. A moment later, he sat back, "Alright, Joker, all yours."

"Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy," Joker spoke into his transmitter, as he continued to chart the course past a few of the Citadel's smaller ships, "Requesting permission to land."

"Stand by for clearance, Normandy," a stern voice rang through the communicator, letting a moment pass, before, "Clearance granted, you may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."

"Roger, Normandy out," Joker stated, turning to give Shepard a smile as the Normandy swooped down towards a docking bay, an empty bridge awaiting their arrival, as the gravity clamps glowed brightly, extending once the Normandy had come within reach, and connected with the wings of the ship.

"Annnd here we are," Joker added, as he thumbed the signals to bring down the engines, "The great melting pot of aliens." He moved his hand to fix the baseball cap on his head, "So, good luck Commander, hope a healthy amount of saluting will get you through this."

"If that's all we have to do, I think we can consider this galaxy safe," Keith cracked, grinning as he stood up and moved towards the rear of the bridge, "We should suit up, look more official," he suggested to Marty, as he started walking backwards, "Especially with all the really nicely dressed aliens."

"Yes, hopefully our armor can withstand the barrage of counter arguments," Shepard joked, giving a small chuckle as she and the squad hustled towards the hangar bay.

* * *

_And therein lies the fourth chapter, thankfully, with far more self-made writing, or whatever you call it. I believed it may have been important on how Anderson was filled in on what happened, not only that, giving Chakwas a bit of story time felt like a good stretch than just blindly following the game._

_So yes, there's a brief glimmer of Marty Shepard and Keith Sunderland having a bit of a past. Of which I won't detail upon until Keith feels fit to regale the story... and yes that may wind up being a flashback chapter._

_I'm still going on writing the next chapter, it's just great when your job decides to add extra hours and not let you know in advance so you wind up late to something you had no idea about. So yeah, job is getting in the way of my hobby a small bit._

_The Council's meeting is coming up next, please leave a comment/review, tell me I suck, ask me any questions, I'd love to get some feedback._


	6. 5 A Good Explanation

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware_

**A Good Explanation**

_by Joshua Scott_

* * *

"This is an outrage!" the aged politician spat out, his hands clenched in fists as he stared at the three holograms before him, "The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!"

Shepard moved towards the balcony overlooking the presidium grounds, a bright place reminiscent of the parks back on Earth, as Ambassador Udina argued with the three council alien members, one turian, asari, and salarian staring back at the raving man.

"The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador," The salarian spoke, his large eyes and pale face peeking from the rather ornate robe he wore.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse," the asari councilor added, her facial markings and hairfins flickering slightly as the display struggled with the live feed.

"What about Saren?" Udina asserted, waving a hand to the side, "You just can't ignore a rogue Spectre, I demand action!"

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador," the turian stated flatly, his hands still clasped behind his back. His colony markings barely wavered, but there was a hint that he was enjoying the human's frustration, even if the Council's creed was to act impartially upon all races of the civilization.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren," the asari interjected once more, her pale blue face showing a firm honesty, ignoring the somewhat hostile tone given by her turian counterpart, "We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, not before." She gave one last nod, before the images of the council flickered and pixilated, the light of the holo display fading away.

The Ambassador frowned and turned towards the Alliance personnel, fixating his furious gaze upon the head officer, "Captain Anderson," he started, his gaze darting towards the other four soldiers in uniform nearby, "I see you brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime," Anderson remarked, his hand waving over the squad he had brought with him, "In case you had any questions."

Udina furrowed his brow, as he placed a hand at his temple, "I have the mission reports," he stated, his eye lingering over the one person out of armor or officer attire, Keith, "I assume they're accurate?" His statement caused Keith to glance sideways towards either side, asking silently for some help against the enraged diplomat.

"They are," Anderson spoke, keeping the conversation going between the two of them, "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience." His eyes focused back towards Udina, his demeanor giving a small taunt, to keep the ambassador's aggressive statements towards him.

Udina frowned as he glanced out over the shimmering waters of the Presidium, "They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent," he admitted, his arms crossing over his chest, "They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Saren's a threat to every human colony out there," Shepard declared, her sharp green eyes glaring daggers right back to the ambassador, "He needs to be stopped, the Council has to listen to us."

"Settle down Commander," Udina snapped, "You've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done! Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed!"

"That's Saren's fault, not hers'," Anderson interrupted, attempting to stamp out any flames of an argument before it could spread.

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigations turn up evidence to support our accusations," Udina retorted, casting his gaze back and forth between the captain and the commander, "Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres." His tone softened as he glanced over his shoulder towards the door, "Captain, I want you to come with me, I need to go over a few things before the hearing." He turned back and eyed Shepard again, "You and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower, top level. I'll make sure you have the clearance to get in." He gave a curt nod and turned on his heel to leave the office, with Captain Anderson following closely behind.

Marty fell at ease as she glanced towards Keith, who had begun exhaling in the same manner as a balloon would release gas from a small hole suddenly appearing in its side. She smiled lightly at his reaction to the tense hearing, as she heard Ashley pipe up from her flank, "And that's why I hate politicians."

"You okay there, Specialist?" Marty asked Keith, who nodded before turning back to gaze out over the Presidium, the sparkling fountains reflecting the undercarriage lights of the skycars zipping overhead, the local wildlife staying a safe distance underneath the traffic thanks to a mild mass effect field which subtly pushed them back down.

"Yeah I'll be okay," Keith finally responded, turning to face his squad mates, "I just... I've had to report to Udina plenty of times." He glanced back as he watched a large quadruped Elcor meander up the steps to his office, "You get plenty of praise from the higher ups, Anderson's always proud, I've got plenty of commendations... and then there's Udina."

"You can't tell me a man who looks like he doesn't know how to shoot scares you, Sunderland," Kaiden stated lightheartedly, leaning on his elbow as the conversation went on.

"Oh he's just an intense old man," Keith shot back, "I'm serious, a guy that has that much to gripe over, but still a hand in humanity's future? Hell it scares me to think what he was like when he was younger." He shook himself visibly as he stood upright, "I once made a grammatical error in a report, he didn't take kindly to, 'Sorry.'"

"Geez, you sound like you have some serious issues with the old guy," Ashley added, glancing back at the Commander, who had been quietly listening so far.

"Yeah... I- I just don't like him is all," Keith finished, nodding at Marty, "I'm done freaking out about him for now, and we got a hearing to get to. Lead the way, Commander," he stated, giving a small salute.

"I just... what exactly do those things do?" Ashley demanded in a confused manner as the elevator the squad had crowded into ascended in a swift manner. She glanced back through the large glass side of their carrier, back towards the multi limbed, insectoid creature that had ignored her constant staring moments earlier.

"I told you, it's a Keeper," Keith stated, flicking a few fingers across his omnitool as he spoke, "It... keeps the Citadel running."

"But it was so weird," she kept insisting, glancing back towards the Operator, who finally sighed and turned back to her, his omni tool flickering off.

"Basically, they're the first species to exist on the Citadel," Keith continued, glancing between the squad mates, "When the asari and salarians found the citadel, it was already inhabited by these creatures. They don't communicate back, they don't bother showing any signs of recognizing anyone else in the area, they just go about whatever they do."

"So wait, we've never tried studying them?" Kaiden interrupted, giving the technician a quizzical look.

"They tried very early in the beginning, but no results came about," Keith admitted, "You can't hold one in a cage, they just self-destruct, so they just let them going about their business."

"Huh... that's a little strange," Marty added, placing her fingers along her chin, "So... what, you think the Protheans made them?"

"No, they don't match with any Prothean constru-... wait a second," Keith stopped, blinking as he came to a realization, "Have any of you ever been to the Citadel before?" He paused for a moment, enough for the response of shaking heads and shrugs to give him the appropriate answer, "Oh... well, that explains the questions."

"It's not like we're asking you to give us the tour," Marty replied, smiling as she glanced towards the controls, noting the ascension speed, "But thanks for the info."

"Yeah sure, it's all in the brochure," Keith joked, rolling his eyes as the elevator began decelerating, "But to be honest, I've only been here twice before, and I didn't get to see much. Especially this," he trailed off, as the door opened to an elaborately ornate walkway surrounded by jets of water, fountains spread out around and under the catwalks into the Citadel's main chamber. Dim lights embedded under the guard rails assisted in creating the calm aura, where the many diplomats and politicians met for counsel.

"Quite the decorations," Kaiden spoke up, his head swiveling as he admired the lights and soft sounds from the surroundings.

"Yeah it looks pretty," Ashley added, "But the area looks like it would make some interesting cover if a fire fight ever broke out up here."

"Sure, if anyone was crazy enough to try that," Kaiden replied, as the squad neared a pair of turians in an argument at the sudden fork in the walkway.

"Let me have more time, stall them," demanded the turian in blue armor, the visual mark of a Citadel Security member, the finest peacekeepers on the entire construct.

"Stall the council?" the deeper, significantly older turian remarked, clicking his teeth as if only mildly amused at the notion, "Don't be ridiculous, your investigation is over!" As a declarative end to his statement, he spun about and stormed down the walkway at a determined pace.

The younger turian seemed to tense for a moment, turning his head as if to make sure any harmful thoughts wouldn't be focused, as his eyes fell upon the small squad of armored human soldiers making their way in his direction. He straightened up and made a visible gesture as they neared, as he focused on the red haired female. "Commander Shepard?" he asked, his eyepiece blinking as he studied her features quickly, "Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

Shepard seemed to pause for a moment, blinking slightly, before she spoke, "I- I see," she stated, "Did you come across anything I should know about?"

"Saren's a Spectre, everything he does is classified, I can't find anything solid," he affirmed, crossing his arms as he glanced between the rest of the squad's members as a small cursor tracked the facial features on the blue holographic field. "But I just know he's up to something... like you humans say, I can feel it in my gut."

"Ah, sorry, but the Council is waiting on us," Kaiden spoke up, nodding at the Turian security member.

"I'll let you go then," Garrus stated, nodding as he moved to the side of the catwalk, "Good luck Shepard, I think they'll listen to you."

Marty nodded as she motioned for the squad to follow her, heading down the wraparound walkway by the fountain, before glancing back one last time, a small smile tugging on her lips. She turned back around quickly, facing the upcoming stairs, turning her mind back to the matter at hand.

"Something catch your eye?" Keith asked suddenly, moving to match the commander's stride, "You seem a bit taken with that turian," he added in a low tone, grinning as he winked at her.

"What?" she replied in a somewhat laughing demeanor, "I just... thought he was interesting." She gave a small shrug as she glanced off to the side, away from the technician. "Why, something off about that?"

"Ah, I guess I'm just messing with you," Sunderland admitted, waggling his hand noticeably as he glanced back towards the other two accompanying them, "Really Kaiden? 'The Council is waiting on us'?"

"What?" the lieutenant stated in a dejected manner, "It's true, we have a hearing to get to."

"Yes, but we shouldn't just barge past someone trying to help out, it's awfully rude." Keith moved closer to Shepard's side as he placed a hand to the side of his lips, "Not to mention a bit hotheaded, so unlike him."

"What're you saying about me?" Kaiden asked, moving up to catch what whispers were being spoken.

"Just mentioning it's Shepard in charge is all," the operator clarified, winking at Marty as they walked.

"Hey boys, are we back in high school?" Ashley finally spoke up, laughing a bit as she caught stride with them, "Seriously, let's leave the note passing and he-likes, she-likes back for the ship."

"She's right, let's settle down for this," Shepard stated, weaving her path to the side to avoid colliding with another multi-limbed insect-like Keeper, which had apparently chosen it's current spot as the best place to catch a wink.

The team glanced up towards the final set of stairs, where Captain Anderson awaited, standing at attention as he watched his crew work their way towards him. The sounds of amplified voices meant that the hearing was already underway, and the flickering lights of a large holo-display featured a tall, grizzled looking turian, who had apparently seen hell and fought his way out of it.

"The geth attack is a matter of some concern," the clear voice of the Asari councilor rang out over the chamber, as the humans made their way to the podium thrusted out towards the Council's platform, resting high against a window where the nearby nebula's lights streamed through to illuminate the hearing. "But," she continued, "There is no indication that Saren was involved with the attack in any way." The councilors had their sights set on Ambassador Udina, who stood at the forefront of the small party of accusers, who was attempting as hard as he could to glare daggers in return.

"The C-Sec investigation turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," the turian councilor added, peering down from his lofty position, the nebula's lights reflecting off of his white facial markings, reminding Keith of their original, hate filled nicknames from the humans, "skull-faces."

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina shot back gravely, his fist clenching from it's perch on the nearby console stand.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador," the voice of the Salarian member slithered out from his heavy robes, his two large eyes wearily scanning over the opposing party as if he were somewhat bored with the hearing already, "The words of one traumatized dock worker, is hardly compelling proof."

"I resent these accusations," spat Saren, the magnified, hologram-displayed turian, "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a friend!"

"That just allowed you to catch him off guard!" barked Anderson, suddenly livid in face as he pointed accusingly towards the ghostly image.

"Captain Anderson," Saren retorted, suddenly the tiniest bit amused as he peered down towards the angered military man, "You always seem to be involved when humanity makes charges against me." He flexed his jaw-mandibles, as he glanced towards the red haired Marty, who stood close by, "And this must be your protege, Commander Shepard, the one who let the beacon get destroyed.

Keith glanced over towards Shepard, who had stood straight, a cautious look in her eye as she studied the spectre, the one accused of ruining her in the eyes of the galactic civilization, "The mission to Eden Prime was top secret," she responded in a cool manner, "The only way you would have known about the beacon was if you were there."

Saren seemed to chuckle, "With Nihlus gone, his files passed to me. I read the Eden Prime report, I was unimpressed." He crossed his arms as he glanced down towards the Council members, "But what can you expect, from a human?" he hissed.

"Are you kidding me?" Keith whispered, as he watched Shepard step forward.

"Saren despises humanity, that's why he attacked Eden Prime!" she declared, her eyes showing a brief flicker of impatience.

"Your species needs to learn it's place, Shepard," Saren growled back, leaning forward menacingly, "You're not ready to join the Council, you're not even ready to join the Spectres."

"He has no right to say that!" Udina yelled, his lips crawling back into a sneer, "That's not his decision!"

"Shepard's admittance into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," the asari councilor spoke up, attempting to stamp out as many flames of the outburst as she could.

"This meeting has no purpose," Saren declared, waving his hand dejectedly, "They are wasting your time Councilors, and mine!"

"Saren's hiding behind his position as a Spectre," Marty stated, peering back and forth between the council members, "You need to open your eyes."

"What we need is evidence," the salarian insisted, shaking his head lightly, "And so far we have seen nothing."

"There is still one outstanding issue," Anderson boldly spoke up, "Commander Shepard's vision, it may have been triggered from the beacon."

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now?" Saren asked in a sarcastic tone, "How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"

"I agree," replied the turian councilor, "Our judgements must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation." He peered back towards his colleagues, shaking his head to affirm his statement.

The salarian nodded and turned back towards the human party, "Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?"

"You've made your decision, I won't waste my breath," Marty admitted, her voice falling to a defeated tone.

The councilors gave a series of brief glances and body movements, before the asari member nodded and turned back, "The council has found no evidence of a connection between Saren and the Geth. Ambassador, your petition to have Saren disbarred from the Spectres is denied."

"I'm glad to see that justice was served," Saren's grating voice hissed through the hologram, before the lights flickered and shut off.

"This meeting is adjourned," declared the asari once more, as they watched the human squad turn and head down the stairs from the podium, leaving the Ambassador, a beaten and humiliated man, lingering for a small second, before he too slowly descended from the lights of the nebula.

"It was a mistake bringing you into the hearing, Captain," Udina finally spoke, glowering as he caught up with the others, "You and Saren have too much history, it made the Council question our motives."

"I know Saren," Anderson replied, not paying much attention to the ambassador's statements, "He's working with the geth for one reason. To exterminate the entire human race." He glanced back towards Shepard and Keith as they turned to listen, "Every colony we have is at risk, every world we control is in danger, even Earth isn't safe!"

"Wait a second," Keith interrupted the captain's rant, "You have history with Saren? I didn't know about this." He glanced back towards Marty, who was apparently ready to ask the same question.

Anderson stopped for a moment as he glanced around, rubbing his hands together, "Saren and I were on a mission together one time. Things went bad, real bad." He paused as he glanced around once more, "We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like, he has to be stopped."

"What's our next step, then?" Shepard asked, fidgeting in her boots, readying herself for whatever could be done to fix the situation.

"As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable," Udina admitted, cupping his chin between his forefinger and thumb, "What we need is some way to expose him."

"Hey, how about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator?" Keith chimed in, lifting a hand as if to lift his suggestion higher for more attention, before he glanced back over his shoulder towards Kaiden, who shot him a cross look.

"Yeah, we saw him arguing with that other turian about the findings," Kaiden added, placing his hands behind his back as he stood at attention.

"He might have been close to finding something about Saren," Ashley piped up as well, nodding along with her squad mates statements.

Marty smiled at Keith as she turned back to the Captain, "Any idea where we can find him?"

"I have a contact in C-Sec that can help us track Garrus down," Udina spoke, "His name is Harkin."

"Forget it," Anderson cut off the Ambassador, "They suspended Harkin last month for drinking on the job. I won't waste time with that loser."

"You won't have to," Udina replied, turning to face him, "I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Marty acknowledged, smiling at the captain in hopes of soothing his wounded pride.

"I need to take care of a few things," Udina continued, before turning on his heel, "Captain, meet me in my office later."

Anderson ground his teeth together a bit, before turning back to the squad, "Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards."

"I thought you said he was just a drunken loser," Keith stated, giving the captain a confused look.

"Couldn't hurt to go talk to him," Anderson admitted, before turning back to Shepard, "Just be careful, I wouldn't call him reliable."

Shepard nodded and turned to the rest of her squad, "Well, I guess we should go, if we want to catch those leads, and quickly."

The captain nodded, "I'll let you get to it, but I'll need Sunderland to come with me," he stated, eyeing the technician.

"Sir?," Keith snapped to attention as he moved to Anderson's side, "Something necessary?"

"I know, I shouldn't be taking you out of the squad, but I need someone running errands," Anderson replied. "As for you Shepard, good luck, hope you find something."

"Thank you captain," Marty answered, "Hopefully we'll find something quick."

"Yeah, and could you keep those two out of trouble?" Keith asked in a joking manner, "Just saying, the whole hate-the-tourists mentality."

Shepard nodded as she waved for Kaiden and Ashley to follow, making their way back to the elevator, with Anderson and Keith headed in the opposite direction. A moment of silence passed before, "Really, you worked with Saren?" Keith questioned.

"Yes, I just told you that," Anderson stated, eyeing him curiously, "It's something I don't necessarily enjoy going over."

"Not judging you sir, I just wanted to know what happened," the operator replied, motioning for the door ahead of them to open, as they continued out onto a balcony, high over the Presidium. "I mean, you don't usually work with a Spectre unless... wait, hang on," Keith started to surmise, his pace slowing to a halt.

"Like I said, I don't enjoy going over it," the captain stated, his eyes narrowing as he tapped a small keypad nearby. He quickly keyed in a request for a skycar for transportation, and turned back to the Operator. "Thankfully it's not widely announced when people are in the running to become a Spectre."

"I had no idea, I mean," Keith stammered, "Everyone knows you're an incredibly decorated officer,"

"Brown nosing isn't like you," Anderson cut him off, smiling a bit as he leaned on the railway.

"Oh come on, you know me," the operator assured, "I just... had no idea."

"Well, my time came and went, it's terrible what happened. But I'm not letting Saren get away with this," Anderson declared, turning to look his assistant in the eye. "I will do whatever it takes... and I hope you feel the same way."

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to any attempts at eradication," Keith assured the captain, glancing out over the serene view. Soon enough, the sounds of a nearing sky car sizzled in the air, as the craft descended onto the nearby landing zone. "Don't worry, Captain, I'm with you."

"And I hope," Anderson continued, as he climbed into the back of the car, the driver nodding as the men climbed in, "That you're with as much determination in Shepard as with me."

"Hey, I wouldn't be in the Alliance if it wasn't for her," Keith responded cooly, as he thumbed in the coordinates for the human embassy, "Hell, there'd be a lot of things if it weren't for her."

"Good, I wanted to hear that," Anderson stated. He peered out of the vehicle's window as they took off, gently sailing through the air towards the offices. "When you get to the ship, Presley will have a list of items the ship could use. Adams said we could use a few upgrades as well."

"Alright, anything else?" Keith asked, tapping his omni tool a few times, sending a small message to the ship, "You think Joker will need anything?"

"I hope the best ship will be enough, but I won't refrain you from any personal requests," the captain admitted, smiling lightly. He glanced out again as the craft had quickly reached the first destination, and made to his feet once they had landed. "And if you're going to suit down," he warned, "At least take a sidearm."

"Hey, I'll be fine," Keith responded, "Who in their right mind goes after a buyer?"

"Commissary," Anderson corrected him.

"Same thing," Keith joked back, giving a small salute as the door to the car shut and ascended, turning it's path towards the arms of the Citadel.

* * *

And there's that. I apologize for the terrible length it took for me to write this, but I'm glad I'm through with this chapter. I was having some serious computer issues, and didn't want to tempt fate writing with a disastrous setup.

So there's a bit more, again, apologize for the great deal of already in game dialogue, but... what can you do, eh?

Thankfully, Keith will be headed out on his own for the next chapter, plenty of original writing, and he might run into a familiar face or two.

I'll get more writing done soon, I apologize for anyone who actually likes my writing, for having to wait so long, I mean, and I hope you enjoy.


	7. 6 The Runnings

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware_

_by Joshua Scott_

**The Runnings**

The elevator hissed as Keith reached the C-Sec floor, it's large glass door sliding below, into the walkway, as he stepped out into the fervor of agents running by, the soft sound of ringing communicators at the desks located around the room. His eyes fell upon an approaching turian, who's face paint matched the blue uniforms associated with the security force.

"I'm going to need to check that," the turian stated, pointing at the pistol hanging from Keith's belt.

"Sure, but I should let you know, I'm with Alliance," Keith responded, detaching his sidearm from the magnetic clip and holding it out. "I should be cleared, correct?" He had dressed down into a casual jumpsuit and t-shirt, done with the armor for the day, although the shield generators on his belt would keep him away from serious harm.

"We know you're with Alliance," the officer replied, his voice reverberating from his throat as he watched his own omni-tool, "Only official military uses these elevators. Still, there's been reports of weapon modifications going around, and Executor Palin wants us all on our toes about it." He raised his eyes back to the human, "Besides, you look like you know how to really work one out, I like what you've done with it."

"Thanks, not much else other than a laser sight and reinforced grip," Keith admitted, placing the weapon back to his hip. He glanced to the side, the sounds of a salarian being accosted, wincing as he made a feeble attempt at running, before being smacked down by another officer. "Busy day?"

"We're C-Sec, we're always busy," the turian officer spoke, laughing slightly, "But yes, something seems a bit more... up in the air, I think you humans say." He gave a small shrug, "Still, you don't look like the troublesome type, and that makes my job easier."

"Thanks, I guess," the technician stated, rubbing his neck, "I've not been to this arm of the Citadel yet, you know of any good places to shop?" he asked, holding his omni-tool aloft to record an answer. "I'm running supplies for my ship, and it'd be a good thing to know where to go."

The turian eyed him over slightly, "Well, there's always Delan up in the Presidium, but his wares are more accustomed to... more comfortable lifestyles." He crossed his arms and tilted his head back, "There's Morlan downstairs, he's a twitchy guy, even for a salarian, always shouting for people to come buy his stuff. Then there's Kravin, though he's... well..." He paused for a moment, glancing back at Keith, "He's an old-fashioned turian, just saying. But for you, what with the colonist look, I'd head to Expat, the Volus near the stairwell. He's always got a good deal, an honest seller, which is somewhat rare for the volus ever since they figured out we could beat up whoever threatened them."

"Thanks," Keith stated, clicking a button along the floating orange armband and shutting it off, "I'm assuming he can have goods delivered?"

"Yeah, just give him the info and he'll take care of it," the turian replied, giving a small nod. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"No that's all from me... oh wait," Keith cut himself off, glancing around, "I'm looking for another turian, Garrus Vakarian, the crew and I were hoping he could help us with something."

"Garrus? I'm afraid I haven't seen him lately," the officer said, rubbing his neck with a contemplative look, "Maybe you could check with Officer Lang? He's patrolling the wards, and he usually keeps up on other officers locations... whether they like it or not."

"Thanks again," Keith spoke, moving towards the precinct's entrance, giving a small wave as he went. He moved to crack his gloved fingers as the door slid open and he stepped outside, the Widow's gleaming lights streaming through the large, reinforced glass windows of the ward, the beams bouncing from down the massive arm of the Citadel.

He strode up the nearest flight of stairs, noting the small team of janitors sweeping up the various pieces of a wrecked skycar nearby, and gave a low whistle as he stepped around the debris, finding the nearest human officer driving attention away from the accident. "That's a hell of a parking job."

"Yeah, I don't know what they were thinking," the officer stated as he turned to Keith, an idle hand rubbing the small beard he was growing, "If you saw the flighty salarian inside, he was the driver. I'm Officer Lang, anything I can help you with?" He gave a small nod as he noted the Alliance insignia on the technician's shirt.

"Oh that was easy," Keith noted aloud, rubbing his hands together, "I'm asking around for the location of Garrus Vakarian, another officer said you'd know where he could be?"

"Garrus... yeah, last I saw him he was headed towards the medical clinic down that-aways." Lang pointed past the wreck, towards a holographic cross. "Unforunately, we'd need to get this cleared first."

"Understandable," Keith responded, tapping a few buttons on his omni-tool, "I'm not the only one looking for him, we're just needing answers." He gestured slightly as he pulled out a small earpiece, putting it astride of his ear cuff, "Hey Shepard? It's Keith."

"Go ahead," a voice came out, though there was a clear background noise of throbs and pulses, "Sorry, it's loud in here."

"Yeah, I just spoke with an officer, they said Garrus was last seen heading towards the local clinic, maybe check there?"

"Thanks for that," Marty replied, "I've been trying to get information out of Harkin for a while, but he's been wanting something else for trade."

"Ah... I'm not gonna ask," Keith stated, giving a small shrug, "Just a heads up,"

"Right, thanks."

"Sorry about that," Keith spoke back to Lang, who was staring at him with widened eyes.

"That was Commander Shepard?" he asked, "Hey, I was on Mindoir when the Blitz happened, I saw the vids and everything, we were all pumped a local was able to do that."

"Oh... yeah," Keith said awkwardly, suddenly unsure about the conversation that could follow. "Well, I should let you get back to your business, I've got my own things to take care of."

"Right, well take care of yourself," Lang stated, giving a small salute as he turned back to the other officers.

Keith gave another small, unwitnessed shrug as he began walking towards the markets, glancing over his shoulder towards the wreck again, when he bumped into something large and resistant.

"Hey, watch where you're headed," a deep, gutteral voce responded as Keith spun towards the speaker. A large, squashed grimace with a set of claw marks running down the side of his face and blood red eyes glared at at the human, his head plates ran back to the neck of his armor, a bulging hump towering over the bulky figure. Krogan.

"Hey sorry, it's not like I mean to go running into other people," Keith stammered, holding his hands out in defense.

"Well," the krogan bemused, leaning towards the technician, "Maybe you should mean to look where you're going, less likely you'll get killed." He gave a small smile as he placed one hand on Keith's chest, giving a shove that sent the young man tripping backwards and landing on a shrill-chirping Keeper.

"Hey," the nearby officers shouted, running towards the two, "What's going on here?"

"Ah the human needs to keep better control of himself, those damn toes all pointing the same way," the krogan stated flatly, gesturing towards Keith, who was having a hard time getting stable from the flailing limbs of the insect. He gave a short laugh as he reached over and grabbed Keith's hand, hoisting him back up to his feet. "There you go," he spoke, though it seemed he had directed his remark towards the Keeper, who scrambled back to its feet, giving a rather empty look back at the pair before skittering away.

"Thanks," Keith grumbled, dusting himself off with a glare to the krogan, who had begun giving a small laugh.

"Wait a second," one of the officers suddenly spoke, his eyes raising from his omnitool, "Urdnot Wrex?"

"Yeah, whaddaya want?" the krogan responded, turning his squat head towards the speaker.

"We've got a couple of reports about you, you mind coming with us back to C-Sec?"

The krogan's eyes narrowed, as he studied the young men before him, before raising a hand, "I don't see a problem with such a thing, sure. I've always wanted to go there on vacation." He began walking with the officers, turning his head a bit to glance back at Keith, who turned away as well.

"Geez, such a nice guy," Keith huffed as he wandered past the growing crowd of onlookers, wondering what had the security force all riled up over. He glanced out of the windows as the Ascension ship floated by, blocking out the light from the Widow. He stared for a moment, before the nearby door hissed and opened to the markets.

Keith stepped to the side as a slim hooded figure pushed past him, "Excuse me," and rushed through the throngs of civilians. He blinked slightly as he tried to catch sight of the passer-by, before turning back to where he was going. "Sounded ventilated," he muttered to himself, as he stepped past a stall.

The markets were a cramped place, as sellers hawked their wares, with the various lights streaming from their small spaces, each offering a different mood for the buyer. He glanced back towards the stairwell, where a small, round figure sat, covered head to toe in an environmental suit, with lighted ports over the eyes and mouth, the giveaway huffs of breath filtering through the dangling nasal vents. The suit wiggled about as it conversed with another nearby volus. Keith smiled to himself as he moved closer, sliding through the crowds and giving a berth to a human arguing with a turian shopkeep. He eventually reached the waist-high counter, leaning forwards with a hand on the surface, "Excuse me, I'm assuming you're Expat?"

"Why yes, *ksst*," the ventilated voice of the volus spoke up, as the blinking eyepieces turned towards the operator, "I'm glad that my name and reputation *ksst* has been getting around. *ksst* Always nice to see a new face." He shifted himself to the counter, waving a hand over the screen, "Something I can get for you?"

"Wait a second, *ksst*" the other volus spoke up, peering up towards the young man. "I think I know you..."

"I'm sorry?" Keith asked in an unknowing manner, glancing down at the smaller volus.

"Yes, yes, those markings, er, tatoo *ksst*" it spoke again, pointing excitedly at Keith's lightning bolt markings on his chest which were peeking over the neck of his shirt, huffing another breath as he bounced on his feet, "Keith Sunderland, *ksst*. You don't recognize me?"

Keith raised an eyebrow as he studied the volus's suit, his eyes falling to the small lightning bolt markings next to the suit's breather. "Oh... Bo Nairn!" he exclaimed, smiling as he leaned back onto his elbow, turning more towards his old comrade, "How've you been doing lately? I haven't seen you since back home."

"Oh, *ksst*, I've been doing fine," Bo replied, his hands gripping together, to help calm himself down, "I'm visiting from Elysium, me and Riela just wanted a small break from the colony."

"So you head to the citadel?" Keith responded, laughing slightly, nodding his head back towards the throngs of shoppers.

"Oh, we're stopping here before we head to our real destination. *ksst* I heard Expat sold a few things that she might like," he nodded towards the vendor, "Just as a small gift, *ksst.*"

"Hey, I'm glad to hear you two are still doing great," he smiled as he turned back to Expat, holding out his omnitool to send a list to the volus's computer. "Sorry sir."

"Oh no worries, *ksst* anything to keep spirits up around here," Expat stated, "It pleases me to help any colonists *ksst* coming through here. I assume the Normandy is a new human charter vessel?" he asked, watching the details flicker onto his nearby vid-screen.

"No, it's a new Alliance ship," Keith corrected him, "We're not really headed to any concrete place yet."

"Sounds interesting, a new ship?" Bo asked, "*ksst* You must be doing well for yourself." He peered up at the human, the glowing eye pieces giving off a warm glow as he held onto the counter, still bouncing slightly from the surprise reunion.

"Yeah, I mean, guess who I'm serving with?" Keith replied, giving Bo a smug look.

"Hmm *ksst*, well there's lots of other Alliance members that happened by..." Bo mused, glancing off to the side to think up a good name.

"There's only one of note though. I'm working with Commander Shepard."

"Oh, really? *ksst" Bo straightened up, considerably noticeable with his short stature, "I've heard a few things about her lately, *ksst* something to do with the Citadel."

"Yeah we've been..." Keith trailed off as he thought for a moment, a smile playing on his lips as he narrowed his eyes to the volus, "I'm guessing you want a story to write?"

"I'm always looking for new material *ksst*," Bo admitted, nodding up at the human, "Do you have something to tell?"

"Not really, but if things go alright, maybe I can talk her into telling you a bit." Keith shrugged, "Heck, I'm sure there's lots of people who'd love to get Shepard's story."

"Oh, *ksst* I'd appreciate that greatly," Bo stated, hissing with excitement, once more bouncing on his toes, or as well as his environment suit would allow him.

"Well men, *ksst*" Expat interrupted, "I've both of your orders ready. Mr. Sunderland, your order is being prepped to ship, *ksst* we'll have it to your vessel within the hour." He blinked, turning to the side as he fished through a few crates that a small robot had pushed towards him, "As for you, Bo Nairn, *ksst* I have what you requested."

"Oh thank you, *ksst*," Bo responded, taking hold of the small package Expat placed onto the counter, "I wanted to give these to her personally."

"Aw, how sweet, what did you get the girl?" Keith asked, eyeing the package.

"Just some candy shipped from Illium, I know it's one of her favorites, *ksst* and she's just been good to me." Bo's eye lights blanked out for a moment as he held the package to his chest. He nodded to Keith, "Well, I should get going, and leave you to your business. *ksst* Oh but, Keith? Please do write or call, the gang has missed you, *ksst*"

"I will Bo," Keith stated, giving a small salute as he stood up straight, "And you take care of yourself, and the girl. Fei would be pissed if anything happened to her."

"*ksst* Oh, don't I know," Bo replied, before he turned and waddled away, giving a small wave over his shoulder.

"Thank you sir," Keith spoke to Expat, smiling with a small bow, "I'll be sure to refer my friends here."

"Oh, please do, *ksst* I'm sure this Commander Shepard would enjoy my wares as well." The shopkeeper smiled as Keith turned away, heading down the stairs to the lower floor's markets. He took a quick stock of the area, less people, though apparently the mood was more shifty. A small grimace formed on his face before a salarian waved towards him.

"You're wanting Morlan's, yes?" the salarian shouted towards him, smiling with his green teeth bared.

"Uh..." Keith started to speak, surprised at the barking alien.

"Morlan has many things, indeed," the salarian continued, waving towards the listings displayed on the holographic screens beside him. He quickly tapped a button, making a visual representation of his goods pop up as the selection periodically scrolled downwards. "See something you like, you want to buy?"

"Um, sorry, I was just passing through," Keith stated, before his eye caught the brief image of a visor display. "Hang on, what model is that?"

"Ariake Visionary," Morlan spat out, turning to view the floating model with a wide grin, "Special military-grade visor helps keep track of nearby people." He rummaged about under his counter, before popping back up and holding out the visor they were speaking of. "Human kind makes good tech, here, you should try."

"Er, sure if that's alriiiiaugh!" Keith yelped as Morlan slapped the visor to his face. The visor glowed orange before small white lines converged over the various things his eyes could look at, identifying various bits and pieces that were around him. He turned around, noting a few locals had weapons located on their hips, which were quickly identified with make and model. "This thing is pretty awesome," Keith said softly, turning to glance to the other side.

"Compatible and ready to link up to Omni tool," Morlan continued speaking, "Can record, sync with extranet, play games, watch movies, like this one," he suddenly prodded a small button on the side of the visor, the display changing on the inside to a holovid of two asari beginning to lose clothing.

"Geez," Keith stammered, yanking the visor from his head, the small device powering down from the sensors noting it had been pulled. "This is... it's pretty nice, how much is it?"

"Is only three thousand credits," Morlan stated proudly, "Comes with rebate and warranty, and Morlan's shop card."

"Ah... well that is still a bit expensive," Keith stated, rubbing his chin as he stared down at the visor. He glanced back up to the shopkeeper, "Twenty five hundred?"

"Yes, wait, what?" Morlan stuttered, blinking rapidly as his brain fired over the question. "No, Morlan answered too quickly, it's still-"

"Ah, you said yes. A good shopkeeper doesn't go back on his word," Keith pointed out, giving a small grin.

"Oh... but... you..." Morlan wrung his hands together, running the costs over in his head. After a moment, he sighed, "Customer is right, Morlan should be worth his words."

"Thank you, you can credit it to this account, the Alliance appreciates your assistance," Keith stated, holding out his omni-tool to transmit the account numbers.

"Oh, yes," Morlan perked up again, as his fingers tapdanced over his computer's screen, "And maybe I can have more Alliance customers, always happy to help."

"I'll be sure to pass your name around," Keith stated, rolling his eyes while Morlan was distracted. He turned around slightly, noting the large crowds of people converging back towards the stairs. "Say, is there a shortcut back to C-Sec?"

"Why yes, human, there is alleyway, right there," Morlan fired back, pointing off towards the corner of the market place, "Can avoid many buyers upstairs, and always quick way back to Morlan's. Would you like a bag for that?"

"No, thank you, I've got it," Keith responded, giving a small nod as he turned towards the alleyway, noting the small sign nearby, and arrow directing towards Chora's Den. A small, exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he wandered past the entry way to the club, his ear picking up the rapid beat of what he assumed was the music, as he turned down through the dim red lights leading began running his fingers over the sides of his new visor, the small omnitool sensors reading what form of operating system it ran, and gave a soft chuckle. "Geez, that salarian can sure grab your attention," he muttered to himself, as a figure stepped out in front of him.

"It's about time, Fist told me that you would be expedient with..." a young female voice spoke up, before suddenly falling silent. Keith glanced up and locked eyes through the facial plate of an environment suit, a round glowing light where the mouth would have been without the helmet. The glass visor barely let any light to the facial features, only the eyes somewhat glowed from under the hood and mask. He took a quick glance downwards, noting the back-bending knees and three-digit hands.

"I'm sorry?" Keith responded after a moment, his hands still working against his purchase, though his eyes stared at the young girl. "Were you waiting on me, explicitly?"

"Oh," the ventilated voice spoke up again, the light on the mask flickering with her syllables. "I just assumed... I'm sorry, I'll..." She ducked her head and wandered back to the dark corner where she had been lingering before, "Never mind."

Keith took a moment to mull the situation over, before moving to the crate that she had moved around, perhaps to gain some barrier between herself and the awkward situation. "Er, miss, do you need help with something?"

"No, thank you, I'm just meeting with someone, that's all," she stated. She glanced down to the side, adding quietly, "You certainly don't look like the Shadow Broker."

The operator stood back, placing his free hand on his hip, "Well I'm afraid I don't know the gentleman, or whoever." He gave a laugh, which came to a halt as he realized the girl certainly wasn't reciprocating in the sentiment. "Well, I'm guessing I should leave you to it, sorry miss." He gave a nod as he turned on his heel, retaking his path through the alley. 'Well, that was an odd situation,' he pondered as he turned his visor over in his hands once more, noting the inside screen blinked the words, "Omnitool Sync complete!" A pair of salarians in exosuits shoved past him as he slipped on the visor, glancing back at the two before muttering, "Jerks."

The visor blinked again before a grid of light gleamed across his peripheral. Numbers flashed up, a small map appeared in the corner, pinging that no directional input was found, and a pair of target trackers appeared over the alley's current occupants. He blinked slightly as he noted the salarians exo-suits were highlighted with a thin red frame, a small bit of data readings flickered up as the visor tracked his eye movement towards the pair. His brow crinkled as he gazed over the readings, which declared that the exo-suits had more shielding than the norm for Citadel workers, "Could be new... hell with the skycar traffic the way it is nowadays," Keith muttered to himself, turning in time as a hooded turian brushed past him.

"Excuse me," the white-painted face growled to him, before the stranger turned back down the alley, plodding down the staircase. Keith watched as the turian strode forward, slowly, as if he were hunting for something, before his gaze fell onto the girl skulking in the small corner, then gave a small gesture for her to move closer. The visor plate of the girl's suit did nothing to hide the confused reaction as she glanced both ways in the alley as well, as if looking for others headed her way, before she stood up and walked towards the beckoning turian, while Keith took the moment to move behind a collection of discarded cargo crates.

"Do you have the data? Did you bring it?" the turian hurriedly whispered, causing the young woman to stop in her tracks, her hands tightening at her sides as he slowly approached her, closing the distance as if secrets were to be spoken.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" she quizzed back, the speaker on her suit doing little to mask her sudden unease with the sudden apprehension.

"They'll be here, where's the evidence?" he snapped, raising a hand and running his fingers along her hood, before running a hand down her side.

"No way," she quickly responded, slapping the turians hand aside and taking a step back, "The deal's off." A moment of hesitation followed, as the turian gave off a small look of disappointment, before glancing over towards the salarian pair behind the young woman. As the salarians straightened up from their huddled positions and began moving towards her, Keith's visor highlighted the items they had pulled from the crates laying about, their small frames flashing red as if he had no clue the danger that was coming.

"Gun!" Keith suddenly cried out, gaining the attention of the aliens down the small flight of stairs, as his hand whipped towards his own sidearm, his mind racing as he attempted to hinder the hostiles' intentions. The salarian pair turned, startled from the human's shout, and raised their sights to train on the technician and opened fire, their projectiles pinging off of Keith's shields. The young girl, seizing the moment, ran a hand down the side of her belt, fluidly unclipping a small grenade disc and tossing it at the feet of the suited gunmen, sprinting before a small concussive burst flung the pair off their feet.

"Hey, get over here!" Keith shouted towards the female, as a burst of gunfire whizzed by his head. He quickly crouched down and took aim towards the angered turian, driving him behind cover as well as the suited girl bound up the stairs and lept across Keith's makeshift cover.

"Fist that- ah," she exclaimed as a clatter sounded, some left behind tools falling about her, shot off the crate she leaned against, "That damn man told me he could find me a safe place."

"Well I don't know, that corner seemed alright until they got here," Keith joked, having ducked back down with her as the salarians had regained their footing and began firing wildly at the human. "But seriously, you could have asked for my help, I'm not that scary, am I?" He gave another short laugh as he hopped back up, clicking his left forefinger and thumb together, before lobbing a small mass of incendiary blob at the closest salarian, which burst and spread a small curtain of flames over the area the exo-suited alien had taken a stand at.

"Yes well, I've just begun my pilgrimage, so I've not had much contact with other aliens," the girl admitted, as she reached behind to the back of her belt and pulled a hidden pistol out, unclicking the frame and taking a quick glance over the crate.

"Wait, pilgrimage? What the-" Keith cut off as a grenade burst, sending debris raining onto the shields flickering over his head. He grimaced as he lifted his gun barely over the cover, firing blindly at the hostiles before pulling his arm back down, "How is it you've not had contact with other aliens before?"

"What do you mean? she replied, ducking as the sound of increased gunfire rang through the alley, "Quarians don't really have much time with other cultures until their Pilgrimage."

"Hang on," Keith stated, distracted by the flying bits of molten metal, glancing over and ducking back down, "Man, I swear more guys just showed up, there's a krogan too." He huffed as he took stock of his pistol, the mass core hissing as the temperatures in the weapon dropped, "What exactly did you do to get these guys after you?"

"I just found some data regarding Eden Prime, I just wanted to get this information to someone who could keep me safe," she blurted out, as she pulled a small disc out and pinched the flatter sides, tossing it overhead towards the aggressors. "I didn't think this would get me killed on the Citadel."

"Eden Prime?" Keith pondered aloud, the loud crackling sounds of the overload disc disrupting his thoughts, "Hang on, I was just there, during the attack." He turned back to the quarian as he tapped the side of his visor, "And I know we could use some info like that. Hang on," he added, smiling as he tapped the side of his head, "Shepard, come in, it's Keith. Listen, I'm in a rough spot and could use some help."

"-kzzt- Roger, Keith, but we're a bit busy too, we've just about managed to hunt down a lead, but she's being held hostage," Marty's voice rang over the communication device, the sound of gunfire caught up in the transmission.

"Well damn," he replied, blindfiring over the crate again, as the booming sound of a shotgun drove him back down, "If you can make it, I'm stuck in an alleyway with a... what were you again?" he asked embarrassingly to the young girl as he returned fire.

"I'm a quarian," she barked back, leaning forward in hopes that her voice would be heard by the transmitter, "My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and I have data from the geth about the attack on Eden Prime," she added loudly.

"Yeah... you get all that?" Keith winced, the girl having just yelled into his ear in order to be heard over the gunfire.

"Wait, you're in an alley?" Marty's voice rang through again, "You wouldn't happen to be in the alley near Chora's Den, would you?"

"Um, yes, we are in that alley, if you coul-"

"Oh you've got to be... hold your fire boys!" Marty interrupted. Almost immediately a silence fell upon the small area, aside from smoldering marks on the wall and the softly beeping alarms in the area. "Keith, is that you behind those crates?" she yelled, though not over the comm.

Keith blinked slightly as he lifted himself to peek over the crates, and took stock of the two dead salarians laying near the stairs leading towards his cover. Further on he noticed the red-headed commander peeking around a nearby wall indentation. "Uh... yeah, it's me," he called back.

"Stand down guys," Marty declared to her flank, before striding out of cover and hooking her shotgun back to her belt. She glanced back over her shoulder, as a pair of armed aliens followed her. "I thought they might have been busy with somebody, unfortunately Wrex here just assumed hostiles and opened, they returned fire, so on and so forth."

"Wait... him?" Keith exclaimed, waving his gun lazily in the direction of the red-eyed krogan, recognizing the armor and scars on the side of the brute's face.

"Ah, Shepard..." Wrex cut in, recognizing the young Alliance technician, strode forward with a shotgun cradled in his hands, "I didn't think you'd be associated with someone like this. This boy's a bit puny as far as I can tell."

"Certainly kept you busy," Keith fired back, turning to the side to offer the quarian a hand, "I thought krogan were supposed to be great warriors."

"Well, maybe he can take a fall, or a hit," Wrex continued, ignoring the young man, "He's certainly not dead, maybe you trained him well?" he asked Shepard, giving a gutteral chuckle.

"He was on the ground with us at Eden Prime, Wrex," Marty chimed in, giving a warm look back to the technician, "He's survived a great deal, so far. Who's your friend, Keith?" she asked, gesturing towards the new face.

"Oh, right, this is... um, Tali?" he started, unable to recall a full name in the middle of a firefight.

"Fist set me up," the quarian started, kicking one of the dead salarians in the leg, "I knew I couldn't trust him."

"You're okay now," Shepard spoke up, moving closer to study the quarian, "Were you hurt during the fight?" she asked, scanning her up and down, before glancing at Keith.

"What's that look for? I can cover someone when the bullets start flying," Keith snapped, narrowing his eyes at the commander.

"I know how to look after myself, not that I don't appreciate the help," the girl cut him off, her voice softening as she turned back to Shepard, "Who are you?"

"Commander Shepard, I'm with the Alliance," Marty responded, smiling as she relaxed in her posture, "I'm looking for evidence that Saren's a traitor, we need proof he was related to the attack on Eden Prime."

"Oh, then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life," Tali'Zorah declared warmly, slipping her pistol back into its hidden holster.

"I'm not sure blindly trading fire is considered saving another's life," Keith joked softly, though the commander cracked a smile. He glanced around as he noted the bodies, the visor scanning the salarians for their lifesigns as his eyes darted about. "Hey Shepard? We got into a fight with these two and a turian, you guys didn't happen to-"

"Reeargh!" the sudden scream ripped through the alley as the hooded turian sprang from a collapsed pile of cargo, bearing a long, serrated knife as he leapt from behind the young man and quarian. Right as his knife began to descend, a shot rang out, his head kicked back, and he fell forwards, landing in a splayed position in front of the gathered four. A moment of calm passed, before Wrex unceremoniously sighted the dead body and unloaded a round through the back of the dead alien. "Got him."

"Garrus, are you going to keep taking shots like that?" Shepard called out, turning with a hand on her hip as she glared up at the perched, blue armor clad turian. He calmly cleared his rifle's chamber as he stood up and hopped down to the group.

"Well, as long as I keep landing shots like that... yes!" he admitted smugly, giving a spread jawed smile as he nodded at Keith and Tali. "Sorry about that, but I'm certain the two of you aren't harmed."

"Thanks Garrus," Shepard stated flatly, rolling her eyes with a small smile, "Keith, you know our assistant in tracking down the lead."

"Right, thanks for that close shave," Keith admitted, giving Garrus a small salute.

"Well Keith, Tali," Garrus started, nodding at the pair, "That gunfire is sure to attract more C-Sec patrolmen, and what with our various states of being a disgraced commander, out of uniform Alliance crewman, a young woman of a race that's not considered a resident in council space at all, a C-Sec operative who was told to leave the case alone, and a known, aggressive mercenary who was warned only minutes before attacking and killing the same gangster that runs a great deal of business around here, and all of us standing around a good three dead bodies with far more smoldering back in a popular bar... I suggest we head back to your human embassy so we can turn over the lady's evidence, whatever that may be."

"Punctual," Wrex quipped, holstering his own firearm with a shake of his head.

"It... it is safer there, right?" Tali asked meekly, as she hovered closer to Keith, giving a backwards glance as Shepard turned to lead them back to the Presidium.

"It should be," Keith answered, stepping over a corpse to take stride with the quarian, "I mean, I don't figure the politicians are ones to spontaneously pull a gun on you. At least, I hope not."

"You'd be surprised," a cool comment slipped from Garrus, who gave a small chuckle as they strode out of the alleyway.

* * *

_Goodness, I should really get with my timing on these things. Sorry again guys, a bunch of jazz went down and I got busy/distracted. Still want to write for this, it's kinda fun. Plus, gets me back in the groove._

_Just a bit more with the Citadel, and then back out to space, where I'll probably be far more comfortable writing up new stuffs and such. I enjoyed the small bit with Keith's buddy Bo, a good hint at what his past may have been like._

_In any case, I'm already underway on the next chapter, and I sincerely apologize to anyone who expected a regularly updating schedule from me, and I'm looking forward to where this story is headed._


	8. 7 Hearings and Rehearings

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware_

_by Joshua Scott_

**Hearings and Rehearings**

The small group led by Commander Shepard stepped into the well-lit veranda that made up Ambassador Udina's office, a small chime giving away their entrance.

"You're not making this easy for me, Shepard," Udina growled, figuring the sudden grab of attention in Captain Anderson's eyes meant her return. "Fire-fights in the wards, an all out assault on Chora's Den, do you know how..." he trailed off as he turned around to view the group that had just strode into his office. His eyes bounded from the turian citadel security member, to the tall, hunched krogan mercenary, blood red eyes and scarred face, and finally to the young, environment suited girl standing between Shepard and Keith. "Who is this? A quarian?" he asked flatly, "What are you up to Shepard?"

"Making your day, Ambassador," Shepard spoke up, crossing her hands behind her back, "She has information linking Saren to the Geth."

"Really?" Udina responded condescendingly, before turning to the quarian, "Well maybe you'd better start at the beginning, miss...?"

"My name is Tali," the young woman spoke, nodding to the Ambassador, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"We don't see many quarians here," Udina added, plaching a hand on his chin, "Why did you leave the flotilla?"

"I was on my Pilgrimage," Tali answered, glancing back and forth between him and the others surrounding her, "My right of passage into adulthood." She paused momentarily as she glanced between the listeners, noting Keith's rapt attention, "During my travels, I began hearing reports of geth. Since my people were driven into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious." She nodded back to the commander as she continued, "I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world, where I waited for one to become seperated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died," Anderson interrupted her, giving a sideways glance to Keith, "Some kind of defense mechanism."

"They sure didn't give anything up back on Eden Prime," Keith admitted, giving a small shrug as he turned back to Tali, "How did you manage to preserve one of those?"

"My people created the geth," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly, "If you're quick, careful, and lucky, small caches of data can sometimes be saved. Most of it was wiped clean," she affirmed, "But I managed to salvage some data from its audio banks." She seemed to smile under the mask as she raised her omnitool, tapping a few buttons before it audibly crackled.

"Eden Prime was a major victory!" a reverberating voice spoke from the device on the quarians arm, unmistakably turian, unmistakably familiar, "The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

"That's Saren's voice," Anderson blurted out, his eyes widening as he turned back to the Ambassador, pointing vehemently at Tali's omnitool, "This proves he was involved in the attack!"

"He said the beacon was one step closer to finding the Conduit," Shepard chimed in, glancing between the rest of the group, "Any idea what that means?"

"The Conduit must have something to do with the beacon," Anderson replied, waving his hands as if attempting to grasp the answer out of thin air, "Maybe it's some kind of Prothean technology... like a weapon."

"Wait, there's more," Tali interrupted the captain, "Saren wasn't working alone." She prodded her omnitool once more, rewinding the audio back to its starting point.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," concluded a female voice, the words flowing smoothly with her tone.

"Hmm, I don't recognize that other voice, the one talking about Reapers," Udina spoke up, uncrossing his arms as he glanced back to the captain.

"I feel like I've heard that name before," Shepard added, her eyes darting between Captain Anderson and Keith.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago," Tali stated, turning her omnitool off. "The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least," she continued, giving a small shrug, "That's what the geth believe."

"Sounds a little far-fetched," Udina coldly spoke, crossing his arms as he stared at a spot on the floor.

"The vision on Eden Prime..." Shepard muttered softly, before raising her voice, "I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers." A grim look swept across the gathered individuals, aside from the mercenary flanking the commander.

"The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life," Tali responded to the commander after a short pause, "They believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back."

"The council is just going to love this," Udina muttered, quietly musing over the conversation as he stroked his chin.

"If they listen," Keith suddenly spoke up, as if nailing an extra part to the ambassador's thoughts.

"The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space, we have to tell them," Marty declared, dropping a fist into her palm, a move that silenced the technician for the moment. Her determined gaze fell upon Keith before softening, though her stance changed little, seeming to hushedly apologize for her snapping remark.

"No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove Saren's a traitor," Anderson jumped in, carrying the energy of the commanders statement. He turned to Keith, giving a small smile and a nod, assuring the operator that they had clearly found benefit in the quarian's information.

"The captain's right," Udina agreed, uncrossing his arms and peering over his shoulder, off towards the Council's tower in the distance, past the glistening fountains and walkways, "We need to present this to the Council right away."

"What about her? The quarian?" the low voice of Wrex spoke up from behind the commander, jerking his craggy head in the direction of the youngest member of the group.

"My name is Tali!" the quarian snapped back at him, causing the mercenary to give a soft, throaty chuckle. She shook her head as she turned to Marty, "You saw what happened in the alley, Commander, and..." she paused, glancing back over her shoulder at the operator standing a few feet away, "Keith can agree that I can handle myself in a fight. Let me come with you."

"Yeah, and who knows how many grenades we can find in those pockets?" Keith remarked, giving a light-hearted shrug at the quarian's sudden double-take with him.

"What about your pilgrimage?" Shepard asked, doing her best to hide a smile from the young man's quip and turning her attention back to the young female.

"The Pilgrimage proves that we are willing to give ourselves for the greater good," Tali assured the commander, raising her palms before herself, "What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My pilgrimage can wait."

"Well, Tali, I have to say, I'll take all the help I can get," Marty stated, giving her an accepting nod, "Welcome aboard."

Tali's mask bowed slightly, and her eyes seemingly glimmered a bit more again, giving away her covered smile, "Thanks, you won't regret this."

"Well, Shepard, as wonderful as your recruitment efforts are going, we must be on our way," the Ambassador interrupted the squad, "Anderson and I will go ahead to get things ready with the Council. Take a few minutes to collect yourselves, then meet us in the Tower." He gave another polite nod as he turned around, taking a small optical storage disc from his desk and handing it to the captain, before moving his way past the aliens, Captain Anderson trailing behind him in a brisk walk.

"Wow, I didn't know Udina had it in him," Keith piped up, seconds after the official left from the office.

"You think he was going to disagree with another hearing?" Marty asked, placing a hand on her hip as she eyed the dressed down technician.

"No, I mean I didn't know he had the word 'wonderful' in his vocabulary," he answered, cracking a smile as the turian officer gave a short laugh, the commander fighting against another grin attempting to spread along her lips.

"Real nice, Keith," she affirmed, placing a hand on her forehead to keep from making eye contact with him, hoping that would keep her from laughing with him. "Well, I appreciate your will to help us out on this, Tali," she turned to nod to the quarian again, before rounding on the other aliens, "But I have to ask you two men what you plan to do now."

A moment of silence passed, before Wrex spoke up, "I've finished my job for the Shadow Broker, so my current plans figure in finding something else to fight." He tilted his head to the side as he peered off, over the railing of the veranda towards the skies generated for aesthetic purposes in the Presidium, "You seem to be running towards something big, hell, I think I'll throw my lot in with you. Seems like a fun way to get myself killed."

"I'm glad you see it that way, glad to have you Wrex," Marty replied, before turning to the turian, "What about you Garrus? I assume you'll have to stay here?"

"Well," Garrus spoke up, dragging the last bit of the word out in english, "I'm afraid I'll have to at least speak with my superiors." His mandable-jaws flexed a couple of times, before he gave a shrug, "At the very least, I'll come with you to the hearing. This was my case, and I'd like to see it through." He gave another spread-jawed smile as he eyed the commander, "Like Wrex here said, could be fun."

"Heh, to think you're an 'officer of the peace,'" Wrex chortled, his leathery face spreading in another wide grin. "Well, Shepard, as fun as it would be to cause more disturbances, I think I'll skip meeting the high and mighty. I'll head to this ship you've got docked here, if you could give me the directions."

"Of course," Shepard held up her omni tool, transmitting the data to the krogan's, "I'll radio ahead to let them know you're coming."

"We certainly don't want Joker getting that surprise," Keith muttered softly, hiding his mouth behind a hand in a feigned chin-rub, although he gained another glare from the commander.

"I'll collect my things and move in then," Wrex stated, glancing sideways at the operator, placating humiliating him again, before turning around and heading out of the ambassador's office, "See you, Shepard."

"You're a bit of a strange man, Keith," Garrus noted after the krogan's departure, "I don't think I've met one with such a sporadic sense of humor such as yourself."

"Yeah, what's with you?" Shepard asked, turning sideways, her feet ready to lead the way to the Council.

"Sorry, I'm coming down off the high of getting shot at earlier," the operator responded, giving another shrug as he moved towards the door.

"I'm sure... although maybe it has to do with saving the damsel in distress?" Marty fired back, nudging him with her shoulder as she passed by him, heading out into the hallway with Garrus following after.

He grinned as he turned back as Tali neared him, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid my translator didn't catch that," she mentioned softly, "What exactly is a 'damsel in distress?'" she repeated the last words in english, her accent curling with the letters.

"It's uh..." Keith trailed off, his eyes darting to the side behind his visor, as he tried to bring up a good definition. "I'll... get back to you on that."

The elevator came to a halt, the systems inside pinging as the mass dampening fields powered down and the occupants striding out onto the long walkway, the soft lights lining the path towards the stairs in the distance. Shepard glanced over her shoulder at the three followers matching her brisk pace towards the other end of the large chamber.

"There's no way the council can ignore this sort of evidence," Garrus spoke to the others, his gaze set determinedly up towards where the Council conducted their hearings, "Saren's days as a Spectre are done."

"If this evidence is worth killing me over," Tali responded softly, in an almost hushed whisper, even with the mask's speakers, "I hope it's enough to motivate the Council."

"Don't worry, Tali," Shepard declared, turning in a sideways walk, "I think Garrus is right. This is sort of damning proof."

Keith's eyes darted from one side of the tower's chamber to the other, noting a few of the delegates and diplomats that he had seen during his previous visit, and wondered if they ever had any real use outside of the tower. He shrugged to himself as his gaze fell upon Captain Anderson, who was standing at the bottom of the walkway for the appealing parties to be exposed to the council, where he could make out the ambassador standing at the console at the end.

"Come on," Anderson called out to the squad, "Udina's presenting the quarian's evidence to the Council." The captain nodded to the various members as they passed before taking stride with Keith bringing up the rear. "Interesting headgear, I hope that was with your own funds," he gestured towards the soft, glowing visor that the operator had picked up.

"Yes sir, it was," Keith replied, slowing down with the captain as the others moved ahead, "It's human-made, if any other brass has a problem. I felt it could improve my capabilities on the field and-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Anderson cut him off, "The only one you'll have to talk to is Adams back on the ship. Otherwise, I think you'll be fine." He gave a small smile as they came to a stop with the rest of the group, "In any case, it does look good on you, soldier."

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir," Keith answered sharply, though he abstained from any gesture or salute, an understanding between the two.

"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit," the crackling audio from Tali's find repeated, Saren's voice playing out over the speakers wired into the chamber's sloping walls.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," the female voice concluded, as the audio file ended. A brief moment of silence followed, as the asari and salarian councilors peered at each other, before turning to the turian, who's head was bowed slightly, like a child ashamed for causing trouble.

"You wanted proof?" Udina spoke up, clasping his hands behind his back, seeming to puff his chest out ever so slightly, "There it is.

As best as the turian councilor attempted to hide his expression, the holographic image of him hovering above the Council's seats gave away his dissapointment. He quickly recovered, and was the first to speak of the three. "This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador," his voice came, with the determined growl that his kind were known for, "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." He nodded grimly as he stood tall, peering towards the Petitioner's stand. He hadn't conferred with the other councilors, but it was obvious they would have agreed with his statement.

"Well, that's something of a relief," Keith whispered as the captain squeezed past the aliens, bringing the operator to his flank. Anderson's face held firm, mostly without emotion, but Keith could see the small hint of satisfaction in the captain's eyes. He smiled as he wiggled his fingers, activating his omnitool to adjust his visor. He silently adjusted the zoom a small amount, and started the recording process, making sure no data slipped out of their reach. He had done this before as the captain's aide, having to write down notes and details of missions before, when Anderson had pulled him with, usually as a part of a squad. He didn't have to worry too much about the Council seeking to wipe his video data, their decisions usually rang out publicly after the hearing.

The asari councilor twisted her head to the side, meeting the turian's gaze as she remarked, "I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia."

"Who's she?" Marty asked aloud, standing at attention at the shoulder of the ambassador.

"Matriarchs are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives," the councilor politely answered, "Revered for their wisdom and experience, the serve as guides and mentors to my people." The councilor's hardly ever took offense to a small question, as their roles designated they would do the best they could to help the races of the galaxy, as large or small they needed to.

"Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic," the asari continued, "and she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren." She paused for a moment, perhaps seeking if someone else had more questions, before her salarian counterpart jumped in.

"I'm more interested in the Reapers," he spoke quickly, his usually quiet demeanor falling away, "What do you know about them?" His large, oval eyes gleamed with the soft lights of the chamber, as he waited anxiously for the humans' response.

"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core," Anderson replied on the behalf of the group, though he turned to signify the quarian for her efforts with a sweeping hand, "The Reapers were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then... they vanished."

"The geth believe the Reapers are gods," Shepard added to the captains information, her voice strongly carrying over the chamber, even without the aid of the mic in the holo-panel beside them. "And Saren is the prophet for their return."

Anderson nodded to the commander, before turning back to the Council, "We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime."

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" the salarian asked, his three-fingered hand raising to grasp his short, blunt chin.

"Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers, that's bad enough," Marty answered the councilor, though she kept her tone from any offensive stance.

"Listen to what you're saying," the turian council member suddenly spoke up, his voice grating as he waved a hand, "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy. Impossible, it has to be." He darted his head to the side, directing his statement to his fellows at the stand beside him, trying to share his viewpoint.

"Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something!" His voice was raising in aggravation, a small bit frustrated with how the hearing was going.

"I tried to warn you about Saren, and you refused to face the truth," Marty's voice snapped back at the turian, though she kept her volume down at the same calm level, "Don't make the same mistake again."

"This is different," the asari admitted, cutting off the turian before he could retaliate, "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he's using the geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't really know why."

"The reapers are obviously a myth, Commander," the salarian picked up as the asari peered out over the chamber, thinking the case through again, "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will." He tilted his head as he stared back at the commander, suppressing the urge to give a shrug.

"Fifty thousand years ago, the Reapers wiped out all galactic civilization," Marty declared strongly, her body moving to a more aggressive stance as she spoke, "If Saren finds the Conduit, it will happen again!"

"Saren is a rouge agent on the run for his life," the turian moved to correct her, shaking his head disdainfully, "He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position." He turned to nod to gesture to his compatriots, as they nodded in agreement, or made no negative motions.

"That is not good enough," the ambassador's voice suddenly rumbled forth, like an avalanche spilling down a mountainside, "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse, send your fleet in!" He clenched a fist on the holo-panel, trying to keep his temper under control.

"A fleet cannot track down one man," the salarian replied, his head tilting back in surprise of the muffled outburst.

Udina took a heavy sigh as he relaxed his muscles, "A citadel fleet could secure the entire region," he argued, smacking his palm against the stand in the running pattern of his words, "Keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies."

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems," the turian barked back, waving a hand dismissively, though he was proving a point, "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!" His grim statement hung in the air, almost stifling the appealing party with his words. The other councilors made no move to apologize, it was the honest truth. The councilors had to act on matters that would endanger the majority of Citadel space, and colonies outside of the protected zone were, most oftentimes, on their own.

The silence only lasted a few seconds, the ambassador staring angrily towards the small in-room garden below their platform, and the Captain clenching his jaw with a shake of his head, sending Keith's face into a worrisome show. That is, until Commander Shepard spoke up.

"I can take Saren down," she declared firmly, planting a fist in her palm as she gazed back towards the opposing Council.

"The Commander's right," the asari admitted, as if on cue, turning to peer at the turian at her side, "There is a way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies." The hints of a smile tugged at the corner of her white-painted lips, her hologram flickering above her as she appealed to her partner.

"No, it's too soon," he argued back, placing a hand on his holo-panel as he turned to the asari, "Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres!" If he had meant to make that comment in a quieter tone, it hadn't helped, as his voice carried out over the chamber. His frustrations gained the attention of the salarian, who was busy studying over the small squad before them, as well as a few of the politicians loitering about the chamber in the distance. Their hushed whispers flitted around the air, Keith's ear perking as he turned to glance at Marty.

"You don't have to send a fleet into the Traverse, and the Ambassador gets his human Spectre," Marty declared again, placing her hands behind her back in a resolute manner, feeling the appeal headed in a beneficial direction. "Everyone's happy," she added, giving a small smirk as she leaned back.

The turian paused for a moment, before turning back to the other councilors, who stared back at him already, before giving a unified nod to each other. The turian ducked his head once more, as he turned back to his holo-panel. Finally, he raised his head and nodded, though more to the air before him than anyone else, and he tapped a small button on the screen, the other councilors repeating the action on their own. A small amount of blips were heard before the councilors stood upright, peering out towards the small group before them.

"Commander Shepard, step forward," the asari spoke softly, her eyes gleaming brightly as she viewed the fiery female before her.

Marty's composure shifted slightly, and she could feel goosebumps running up her arms, as she turned her gaze to Anderson near her right. He smiled and nodded proudly, urging her forward in a silent plead. She nodded in return, before her eye caught the soft shimmer of Keith's visor, who gave a small thumbs-up, a grin playing on his lips as well, as Garrus and Tali shifted slightly behind her. Shepard's face surrendered a smile as well, before she turned back and stepped past the Ambassador, stopping a few feet from the end of the platform.

Keith brought his omnitool up nonchalantly, tapping a few keys as he added a transmission channel to his devices, broadcasting his view to the extranet that connected the people of the various worlds together.

"You know, usually you need a permit to record Council hearings," Garrus's reverberating voice whispered from the operator's shoudler, noting what he was doing via his own eyepiece. "Or at least their word."

"Their decisions are made public anyway," Keith answered back quietly, not turning from the progressing Commander, "Permits be damned, the galaxy needs to see this." He caught the eye of Anderson, who turned back at the squad's whispers, receiving a knowing wink from the young man, causing him to turn back to the Council's attention.

The small murmur of voices from earlier grew louder, as the chamber's overhanging platforms suddenly filled with various beings, crowds of diplomats surging towards the railings as they peered down from their lofty position, regarding the woman who stepped forward. The various humans, turians, asari, and salarians that made up the majority of the crowd mingled in their mixed company, muttering to each other as they came forward to view the ongoing hearing. A few volus moved forward as well, being granted space, although they kept their distance from the edge of the platforms, while a pair of Elcor stomped to the rear of the crowd on their forearms, their tall heights and squashed faces giving them a great deal of vision to the area.

The squad couldn't help but peer up at the various species come forth to witness the event, as the councilors allowed the moment to hold , letting the curious to move in and hear their words.

"It is the decision of the Council," the asari finally continued, her voice carrying out over the hubbub of the crowd, the speakers casting her words clear out to the back of the chamber, "That you, Commander Shepard, be granted all the powers and privilages of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen," the salarian pitched in, reciting the words as if ritual, "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol," the asari continued, her lips playing a smile once more as she heralded to the masses, "The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden," the turian finally spoke, grabbing the proverbial torch, and carrying on proudly, "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander," the asari declared warmly, "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

"I'm honored, Councilors," Marty responded, tilting her head in a show of gratitude. Her heartbeat kept a quick cadence as she kept herself under a firm control, though the smile splayed across her face gave her away.

"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren," the salarian stated, peering down at the grinning commander, "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."

"I understand, I'll find him," she answered, giving another knowing nod as she stood at a soldier's attention.

The crowd looked on as the councilors shifted, standing upright before the audience of the chamber. "This meeting of the Council is adjourned," the asari finally declared, as they tapped their holo-panels, deactivating their large images floating above them and turning to descend the steps to their own rooms.

Marty turned around to face her companions, as the Captain was the first to step forward, smiling brightly. He held fast for a moment, feeling the pride swell in his chest, before he extended a hand, "Congratulations, Commander," he stated simply, as she reached out and shook his hand.

"We've got a lot of work to do, Shepard," Udina muttered aloud, cupping his chin with his forefinger again, "You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies..." he trailed off, the excitement of the moment seemed to even affect him.

"You'll get access to special equipment and training now," Anderson spoke up, noting the ambassador losing himself to his thoughts. "You should head to the C-Sec Acadamy and speak to the Spectre requisitions officer."

"I can certainly show her down there," Garrus added, stepping forward to address the captain, "I need to be debriefed on this case anyway, even if the Council's word is final." He smiled, his beak and jaws flexing again as he nodded to the commander.

"Anderson," Udina suddenly barked, coming out of his reverie, "Come with me. I'll need your help to set all this up." He received a somewhat terse nod from the captain, before he turned to lead the way down the steps, Anderson trailing close behind him.

Shepard gave a small sigh of relief as she turned towards her squad, the small smile creeping back as her eyes bounced from one to another.

"I thought the ambassador would be a little more grateful," Tali broke the silence, turning to peer over her shoulder to see if he had come back for more words, "He didn't even thank you."

"Well, Tali," Keith answered, glancing up from his omnitool, "You certainly haven't been around the man long enough." He had turned off the transmission as the Council had ended the hearing, and was checking to make sure that the public was getting good access to the video he had just taken. He grinned as he imagined the various news outlets of the Citadel vying for his footage, wanting to get exclusive rights, until they realized anyone could view it for free. They would talk about it, of course, but at least the word would be wide-spread.

"Until I find Saren, I haven't done anything," Marty admitted, raising her arm to wipe the nervous sweat from her forehead, "Come on, guys."

"We're with you Shepard," Keith responded firmly, snapping off a salute before they turned off towards the elevators.

_I'd like to blame the various games coming out at this time for distracting me, and for the novels written for this universe for giving me back that creative drive to work out what I needed to write. Thankfully, with this chapter done, we can get heavily into original writing, as Keith gets more face-time with the new recruits and so on and so forth._

_Thank you everyone who bites their tongue at my rehashing in game dialogue, I said upfront this were the events of the game with an additional character, and I'm thankful if you got this far with me... even with my random updates._

_We'll delve into more character and meet new and old ones next time. In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading._

_Good golly, miss molly, we've got a story to tell._


	9. 8 What's to Fight over?

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware._

**What's to Fight over?**

_by Joshua Scott_

* * *

Keith strode from the C-Sec headquarters for the current arm's area, glancing behind himself to make sure Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was following after, her opaque mask turning from side to side. The peacekeepers had a strange habit of watching the young woman's actions as they moved through their area, perhaps a bit too much for her liking. He slowed for a moment to let her catch up, her head ducking down as she walked past another pair of officers, their eyes following her purple robes before turning back to their patrols.

"You in some sort of trouble?" Keith asked finally, the curiosity getting to him. He felt foolish for having to ask her these questions, but he was clueless about her race aside from a few textbook lessons back in high school.

"Quarians are often seen as thieves or beggars by the other civilizations," Tali admitted quietly, taking a brief look past her shoulder to see if the officers decided to pursue them. "Oftentimes we have to scrape by with what we can get our hands on, thanks to our isolation aboard the Migrant Fleet." She sighed quietly as they trudged up the stairs back into the long hallways down the ward's arm, the crowds of people pushing this way and that. "It's just a general assumption of my people."

Keith frowned as he redirected his path around a loitering hanar, that was busy calling out to the masses about the Enkindlers, his floating, luminous body helping to attract more attention to his speech. "I had no idea," he admitted, before glancing down one pathways and spotting the markets, "To be honest... I've never met a quarian before."

"Oh?" Tali asked in a surprised tone, before shaking her head, "Well, that's alright, very few of us can be found out of the Flotilla. We are something of a rarity, I guess you could say." She followed his lead as they turned down the walkway, pushing their way out of one surge of people and into another.

"Right, that Pilgrimage... thing," Keith muttered the last part quietly, as he glanced around the large amount of stalls in the area, trying to pick out a good vendor to select from. He stepped to the side as a rush of civilians pushed past them, reaching out to pull Tali from getting overwhelmed by the numbers, though she slipped past the crowd with ease.

"The Pilgrimage," she started, making eye contact with the technician as she stood by his side, "Is a moment of all young quarian lives. We are to leave the flotilla and bring back something of worth. If we find no such gift, we may wind up wandering the stars for the rest of our lives." She paused momentarily, as if losing herself in thought, "Although sometimes they decide to stay out here. I'm not sure why they would do that."

"Maybe us aliens aren't so bad?" Keith asked amusedly, giving a small grin as he read the various lit up signs in the area. The majority were of the vendor's own species, though smaller additions had translations for the various other sorts of life. Thankfully, his visor was rapidly translating the written language into english for him, thanks to the extensive library he had in his omnitool's memory. "So... who do you think we should hit up?" he asked, turning to gather her response.

The two of them had seperated from Shepard and Garrus back at C-sec headquarters, as Garrus was called in to speak with the Executor, and Marty's new Spectre training would take a small bit of time. Thinking ahead, Keith had suggested he return to the markets and gather food supplies for the ship, seeing as they were headed to various worlds with few major trade centers. Tali had decided to tag along, declaring she too needed to gather more supplies.

"Ah, *ksst* Mr. Sunderland," a warm but gruff voice called out from a nearby stall, a familiar volus waving a greeting towards the alliance crewmember. "I didn't think you'd be visiting my store again in such a small time. *ksst*"

"Oh, hello Expat," Keith replied in kind, moving towards the counter of the stall, placing his elbows on it as if anchoring himself against the tides of shoppers. "I guess my feet brought me back without my knowing."

"As if I have reason to be upset, *ksst*" Expat cheerfully stated. He moved closer and brought his viewscreen for the store with him, placing it before the operative. "I do have to ask what brings this earth-clan back, *ksst* I believe he was leaving on a mission of utmost importance for the Alliance."

Keith grinned as he flicked his omnitool embedded in his glove on, knowing full well of the volus's expert trade practices. The volus society thrived on trade, their history full of negotiations over land, power, and mates as well. When they moved into the Citadel after the salarians and asari, they quickly established a common trade focus that the other civilizations moved towards, the citadel soon adopting a credit currency, with various exchange rates for all the already established monetary wealth of various species. Expat's current behavior was working, sweet talk and a humble demeanor meant he was getting many repeat customers.

"As it turns out, we picked up a few new crewmembers, and we wanted to fill up on food rations. I've got a new list, if you could help my friend and I," Keith explained, gesturing to the robed woman beside him. She nodded politely as the volus turned to view her, placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head, a common motion when a volus had to think things over.

"Yes, *ksst* I do believe I have a stock of quarian rations in my supply." He held up a squat finger as he took the viewscreen for a second, tapping a series of buttons before a small menu came up, "What would the lady like? *ksst*" he asked, turning it back to her, showing the various items he had for her.

She hesitated for a brief moment, glancing sideways at Keith, before stepping closer and tapping a few of the choices, ponderously choosing from the different flavors. "I believe I can afford this," she quietly spoke, as she reached for her omnitool.

"Hey, the Alliance has this covered," Keith stopped her, holding out his own computer and transmitting the account details to Expat's terminal once more.

"No, I appreciate it but... really?" she stammered, peering back to the young man with her.

"Yes, we can cover for the food that any crewmember of the Normandy should need, and since you're coming with us... we've got you." He gave another smile, raising an eyebrow to see if she had any further comments. Instead, after another moment of unease, she reached out and selected a few more items, nodding politely again as she stepped back, lest she get carried away and empty the volus's supply.

"Thank you, you really shouldn't have," the ventilated voice came through, though they could hear the gratitude slipping through her speaker.

"Well, no problem," Keith insisted, turning to close the payment with the volus waiting patiently behind the counter. "Besides, we need to get you a new gun, and they don't really cover extraneous weapons, as it turns out."

"I have a pistol," Tali commented flatly, giving another sideways look to the operator, not caring if the shopkeeper heard her.

"Yes, and you're going to need something with a bit more 'umph' when we're headed out there." He turned back to Expat, holding out his omnitool, "So, my good volus, you wouldn't happen to have some weaponry in store for us, would you?"

"I'm afraid not, *ksst* I only deal in supplies, truth be told." The volus shifted to think again, before stating, "*ksst* I can direct you to another reputable seller, if you'd like."

Keith's face slipped a frown briefly, "Please don't be sending us to Morlan," he mumbled quietly, a look of dread starting to creep into his expression.

"No no, *ksst* don't worry, there's an elcor weapons dealer nearby. *ksst* Just follow this path and you should be fine," he added, reaching out and pressing a few buttons on Keith's omnitool, bringing a path up on the small map in the corner of his visor.

"Thank you again, Expat, hope you have a great day." Keith stood up, moving himself into the throng and ensuring the quarian followed after.

"You as well, earth-clan, *ksst*" Expat called after the pair, before turning back to entice more shoppers to his store.

The two crewmembers pushed their way upstream, following the flow of traffic until they reached the designated store that the volus had pointed out for them, and stepped inside. The door was flanked by a human and a salarian, both equipped with stunner pistols to deter any thoughts of shoplifting, though their demeanor was relaxed, giving a welcome to the pair as they stepped inside. The walls were lined with stock weapons, all disabled from their normal functions, their models now only for show, and their eyes finally fell upon a large, lumbering grey creature. The large forearms and legs that hefted the being's body upwards seemed to clash against the small, beady eyes and squashed facial features, the nose and mouth seeming to blend into one, sole functioning unit. Despite the rather unfriendly appearance, the elcor was as hospitable as the volus that directed the pair here.

"Excited welcome: Greetings, I am Windle, these are my weapons. Humorous: You may as well call this place Windle's Weapons," his monotone voice called out.

The elcor originated from a heavy-gravity planet, which threatened any creature ill-fated to spawn on its surface with a sudden fatal blow should they fall. The elcor evolved in such a way that their large arms and legs grew muscular, though they tended to move slowly, as a misstep would spell their doom. Furthermore, their social behaviors with other elcor were based around slight gestures and pheromones, as their eyes were sharper than they appeared. This, unfortunately, lead to complications regarding conversation with other species, as their flat, deep voices, and low amount of bodily motions never reflected their hard to read emotions to the rest of the galaxy. Therefore, the majority of elcor learned a new behaviour of expressing what they felt, preceding their individual statements. Many argue that the elcor could mislead other people, but the learned behavior instilled a sense of brutal honesty, whether the elcor meant to or not.

"Nice place you have," Keith remarked, glancing about the area, spotting a familiar M-8 Avenger displayed above the elcor's head. "My friend here is in the market for some firepower, and we were told to head here."

"Intrigued: I have many weapons, if you have the credits," Windle droned, as he turned to view the quarian.

"I certainly do have credits," Tali stated quietly, though there was a hint of spite in her voice. Keith's eyes widened slightly as he noted the new tension in the air.

"Sincerely apologetic: I am sorry, miss. It is a habit from so many customers, I say the same to all. Humbly: I would gladly allow you free trials of my weapons in my backroom range, should you desire, I would not want to dissapoint a customer."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Tali responded with a sigh, before nodding to the elcor, "I apologize for my tone."

"As a matter of factly: I do not see many quarians in here. Declarative: But you are welcome just as any other being. Suggestive: Please, look around, we currently have a sale on Elanus Risk Control Services items."

The technician relaxed in his stance as he wandered towards the wall the elcor nodded towards, Tali following close behind him. She shook her head visibly, "I shouldn't be snapping like that," she spoke softly, gaining Keith's attention.

"It's alright, given what's been happening to you." He paused for a moment, "Getting shot at puts you on edge no matter who you are."

She gave a small, short laugh, "Yes, well, I'm surprised you aren't in the same way."

"To be honest, I'm actually surprised that I am being shot at so much, lately," Keith joked, before taking stock of the various armaments. "So... see one you like?"

"I'm not certain, which one do you think is best?" she asked, her eyes flitting from one model to another, studying the various stocks, barrels, and other features.

"Well, I wouldn't suggest a sniper rifle," Keith started, giving a small shrug as if apologizing for stating the obvious, "But you want options, you're not leaving with just another pistol."

"I'm well aware of that," Tali chided, turning to give him a glare through the mask. She crossed her arms as she peered back at the seemingly daunting wall. "Hmm... what sort of weapon does Shepard use?" she finally asked, tilting her head to get his answer.

"Ah, a shotgun?" Keith raised an eyebrow, giving a gesture to the closest type to them. "I definitely suggest you take that firing range offer, the kick's not for everyone."

"What's this idea you have that I'm some fragile person?" she asked amusedly, before turning to Windle, "I'd like to try this model, please sir."

"Agreeing: That is a good choice, miss. Instructing: If you would follow those signs, we can set you up with some dummy rounds to try one out."

Minutes later, the pair left the shop, the young lady bouncing in her step somewhat, with the weight of an Ariake M-23 Katana shotgun collapsed into a smaller size connected to her belt's holster. She beamed back to the young man following after her, "Certainly could handle it, couldn't I?"

"I have certainly been shown who is the boss," Keith remarked with a smile, bowing slightly to her to further boost her good mood. "I'm curious why you went with a human make though, the turian ones seemed to be a better weapon" he added, as they turned to head up along the pathway, staying near the guarding ledge where the walkway ended, allowing them a view of the rest of the ward, stretching off down the citadel's arm into space.

"Well, they did seem to look a bit better," she started, as she leaned against the railing and peering out over the city, "But I felt I could modify this weapon for a better performance." She gave a small shrug, "I'd hate to get something that I couldn't work my hands over."

"A fellow modder," Keith declared warmly, leaning against the railing as well as he brought up his omnitool. "I didn't think I'd meet another enthusiast."

"Enthusiast? My people are praised engineers," Tali scoffed at him, though her tone kept light. "We're constantly doing repairs or adding new features to our ships. Some of them date back to our original flight from our homeworld." Her explanation seemed to burn away the lighthearted energy they were exhibiting, as Keith's omnitool gave a few soft pings. "Knowing machines is second-nature to the quarians. Give me something that should work, and I can disassemble, repair, or hack into it." She turned back to her conversation partner, giving a small nod. "Not to brag, or anything."

"No worries about that, Tali, I'm afraid I'm only good at the programming part, not very decent at breaking into things," Keith stated, returning the nod before he brought his attention to the small window that popped up in his visor. "Oh, that's interesting." Tali peered at him, trying to read what he was looking at, though it was difficult for her to read any other language backwards.

"What is it?" she finally asked, curious about her partner's sudden quiet spell.

"Someone's looking for me, wants to meet at Flux." He fell quiet for another moment, before giving a smile, "An old friend." He typed a quick response, sending its way over the local network, and fixed his attention back with Tali, "If you would like, you could come along," he declared, waiting for her response.

She shifted her body, turning towards him with another nod, "Sure, you already gave enough time helping me with my business, I could certainly entertain you with more of my company." Tali seemed to radiate enthusiasm, causing the young man's smile to broaden.

"Absolutely, I'd enjoy it," he replied, turning and walking with her up towards the clubs of the ward.

While the various species had their quirks and features, the clubs seemed to be a universal outlet and hangout spot across the stars. Alcohol, music, and companionship seemed a constant desire, and there was no shortage of such luxuries out on the various colonies and major points in the galaxy. Flux itself was a lively place, with popular dancing music, gambling machines, and plenty of drinks for those who needed it.

Keith's visor rapidly scanned the area, making a personal quick ID for everyone it picked up, tracking their movements in the area for the operator. The locator pinging in his visor directed him towards the tables set near the windows, where the Widow nebula cast an ethereal glare against the dining section of the place. Soon enough, the visor beeped, a small, yellow frame appearing around a seated salarian who was deeply engrossed with the datapad he held before him, occasionally reaching over to pull his drink to his lips.

Keith gave a small smile as he turned back to Tali, tilting his head in the direction of the salarian before turning to head that way. He passed by the bouncer for the club, a tall human with enough muscle to ward off trouble, and a rifle to put an end to any undeterred, another reason why he liked this club more than the nearby Chora's Den.

He approached the table where the salarian rested, gaining a better view of him. The tan skin was barely cracked, showing that he was still in the better half of his life, or so the salarians loved to joke. The clean, asymettrical aligned buttoned outfit and patch on his sleeve marked him as a doctor, though the space where a company logo could usually be found was empty, instead bearing the universally accepted cross.

"Excuse me sir, I was wondering if your sister was open for business," Keith spouted, before quickly turning and giving a dismissive wave to Tali, pleading for her to ignore his comments.

"One second, please," the salarian responded, his eyes still glued to the datapad.

"Yes, well I brought that lot of varren, and, I mean I don't want to know what you do with them, but they're getting... ornery," Keith continued to joke, leaning to the side as he crossed his arms, watching for the salarians reactions.

"Just a moment, I'm busy," the salarian continued to ignore him, reaching for his glass once more for another sip.

"An elcor butt says what," Keith finally slung, his grin growing ever wider.

"I'm not falling for that one, and you should know better than to act this way in front of a lady," the salarian fired back, as he finished reading his datapad, turning it off. "But, what do you expect from the always rushing headfirst young boy from Elysium?" He finally peered up at the pair, actively studying them, before smiling back at the operator. "Hello again, Keith, partner."

"Darn, I thought I could have gotten you with that last one," Keith replied, moving to take the seat opposite of the salarian and gesturing for Tali to join them, "What brings you to the Citadel, Goann?"

Goann leaned forward, resting his arms on the table before them and crossing his fingers, "I was contacted by the Sirta foundation in the queries of medical science," he stated smartly, "New applicant features, handily carried devices, the usual business that they employ. If only they could get medigel to be fully legalized, we wouldn't need to see it as a business, but in its truest form, practicing medicine."

"Well, at least it isn't outright banned," Keith mused, "Otherwise, what would you have at all?" He leaned back in his chair, kicking a foot to rest on his other knee.

"Indeed, shocking that I'd have no other sorts of presumptions to work on." Goann turned to the side, viewing the quarian once more, before his eyes drifted back to the operator. "I'm afraid I haven't met your new friend yet, Keith. Even more discouraging, you haven't introduced her. That's twice times you've been rude."

"I'm sorry," Keith sat back in his original position, "She had been doing it herself so often, I kinda got used to it. Goann, this is Tali' Zorah na... um... what was the rest." He gave an embarrassed look to Tali, silently pleading for her help.

"It's Tali' Zorah nar Rayya," she spoke quickly, giving a polite nod to Goann. She fidgeted slightly in her chair, having also forgotten to introduce herself.

"That doesn't seem like a mouthful," Goann commented, glancing back to the operator.

"Yeah, you certainly are one to say so, mister I-have-nine-names," Keith remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Six, Keith," the salarian corrected him, though he took the comment gracefully.

"Sure thing," the operator replied, waving a hand dismissively in the air. "So how did you know I was around here?"

"Our little friend made a post on that social website he made everyone join, you know, to show off his writing. He said that he had run into you, and publicly wished you the best on your trip with Commander Shepard." Goann smiled as he sat back, the cartilage in his body wanting movement, "Commander, I didn't know she got so far. Then, soon after, some news stations had footage of the first human Spectre. So I had hoped that by luring you here, I could possibly meet the esteemed hero of the Blitz and give her my gratitude. But I appear to have been too hopeful, although it is good to see an old friend again."

"Heh, just like being the extra hands back in school," Keith stated, before turning to look at Tali. She was glancing over her shoulder towards the dance floor, a mix of species displaying their movements on the colorfully lit area.

"Indeed. I'm afraid, miss Tali'Zorah, that I have to speak to Keith alone, some things we needed to catch up on," Goann spoke up, breaking Tali out of her reverie.

"I'm sorry, this place is interesting, we don't have anything like this back on the fleet." She nodded once more, "Do you need me to leave?"

"This should be quick," Keith assured her, nodding towards the dance floor, "Why don't you enjoy yourself for a bit, I'll grab you when I'm done."

"Sure, take your time," Tali stated. She stood up quickly but turned back to the salarian, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Goann."

"You as well, miss," Goann courteously replied, watching as she walked towards the group enjoying the music.

Keith's eyes followed the quarian as well, smiling lightly as he noted a female human and asari couple gesture her over, apparently having a girls' night out. Satisfied, Keith turned back to his friend, "So how's things back home?" he asked, his voice dropping the humorous tone.

"As well as they could be," Goann answered, leaning forward once more, "Word from Tejis is that other trading parties are considering steering away from colonies, though mostly in the Verge. Aside from that, nothing major to tell. As for your mother... well, the locals are pulling for her. She hardly gets out of her bed, and we're looking into what we can do. But, there hasn't been any drastic change in her health."

Keith stared at the table for a moment, his eyes drifting around a ring marked into the surface, perhaps where a previous customer had placed their drink without a napkin or coaster. He mulled over the information for a moment, before giving off a sigh, "I really hope she gets better," he muttered, though audibly enough for the salarian to hear.

"We all do, Keith. The options aren't many, but we're looking." Goann paused for a moment, a soft beeping from his collar catching his attention. He pulled out his omnitool, taking a quick scan of a message that popped into his inbox, and clucked his tongue. "Well, damn, such for enjoying the company of a friend." He shut his omnitool off, slipping the small device back into his suit pocket, "I'm afraid I have to be off, Keith, sorry to cut this short."

"Ahh, don't worry about me," Keith replied, pulling himself out of his rut, "What's got you moving out of here so suddenly?"

"I had booked transportation to Omega, Sirta told me that a clinic director was willing to assist in our endeavors. On the plus side, his record shows him as a genius." Goann gave a small smile, "I just hope I'm not needing patching up once I reach him."

"Yikes, well, hope the vorcha don't get too close," the operator said with a grimace, recognizing the name of the asteroid, where law had trouble existing. The sounds of a small scuffle reached his ear, distracting him from the conversation, as another skinny, scaly skinned salarian was pushed past the tables by the bouncer, the squat volus that owned the club following after him, a series of raspy breaths trailing with him. "Wow, Doran is pissed about that guy," he commented, before turning back to his friend.

"Cheating at quasar, I must assume," Goann added, nodding with the operator as he picked up his glass. "Well, I'd offer the rest of my drink, but I'm afraid that would invalidate my license, so... here's to, what's your ship's name, again?"

"The Normandy, you jerk," Keith answered, shaking his head, though a smile slapped itself onto his face.

"Right then, to the Normandy," Goann finished, emptying the glass and placing it back to the table. He stood up swiftly, taking his datapad underarm, and nodded to the human, "Well Keith, you stay safe out there. Oh, and do call your friends sometime, Fi keeps asking us to relay that message."

"Right right, I'll send one out as soon as I can." Keith stood up as well, giving a quick salute to Goann as he made a brisk pace out towards the exit. Keith stood on the spot for a moment, watching after his friend, before turning to look towards the dance floor.

The sight of Tali being accosted by a drunken turian startled him somewhat, as she attempted to shrug him off. The ladies who had accepted her earlier had apparently moved to greener pastures, leaving their impromptu companion behind to take the assault. Keith's eyes narrowed as he moved forward, and noted the visor indicating that the turian had no weapons to speak of, probably just a citizen looking to get lucky.

"Hey, sho what bringsh you to the Cshh... here?" the turian slurred, leaning a tad too close to Tali. Keith took a brief moment to wonder if quarians could get the various odors from other species through their masks. He eventually pushed the thought aside as he reached the two and attempted to drive a wedge between them.

"'Scuse me, sir, but my friend and I were leaving," Keith announced to him, nodding for Tali to head for the door with him. He silently hoped that the drunk would detach, but he seemed determined to be heard.

"Hey wait, wait up a minute," the turian spoke again, reaching out and grabbing the quarian's shoulder, "I'm just trying to get with the girl here, getcher own," he declared, giving out a small laugh as he tried to pull her back.

"Geez, can you not take a hint?" Keith gave a nonverbal warning to Tali, noticing her free hand attempt to go for the knife down near her boots. Instead she turned and slapped the hand off of her shoulder and quickly moved to behind Keith, using him as a barrier against the harassing party.

"Aw come on, you humans come in and take everything," the turian declared, waving his arms dramatically before him. "You come in and take our creditsh, then you want aaaalll the anttenshun, and now... you you're taking our girls." He stepped forward suddenly and jabbed Keith in the chest, "Damn new guys, we were here first!"

"Sir, I am with the Alliance, and I am allowed to defend myself," Keith spoke firmly, his eyes narrowing as he took a more defensive stance, aiming his right side against the aggressor. The blow had barely done any harm to him, but he was getting agitated with the turian's unwillingness to cooperate. Not only that, but the bouncer and owner were still occupied with the salarian they had grabbed earlier.

"Oh sure, you'd use the Alliance as an excuse," came another turian's voice, as he strolled over from his seat at the bar counter nearby. His eyes peered back at the young man as he stood by his drunken friend, "Humans always believe their military gives them the right to push and shove and get what they want."

"That's... no that's," Keith tripped over his words, shaking his head as he fought to keep his cool at the sudden accusation. "Listen, politics aside, the lady wants nothing that you're offering. Now, I can suggest a way out of this where we both get to enjoy the rest of the evening. I can either treat you to a drink or leave you be. What do you say?" He stared back to the pair of turians, sincerely hoping they wouldn't press the matter.

"Like we need your money!" the liquored-up alien shouted, breaking free of his friend's grasp and coming at Keith with his right fist. Keith couldn't tell if the outburst was from a build-up of pride or something he said, but he easily stepped out of the way of the blow. He certainly didn't want to fight the turians, they stood taller than he did, giving him a disadvantage. But he sought to make up for it.

He flexed his fingers as he brought his left up to the drunk's face, omnitool activated, and fired the high-performance LED flashlight as his knuckles connected with the cartilage plate under the turian's eye, disorienting him as he fell, twisting to the side and landing on the flashing floor. The second turian came at him quickly, jabbing at his exposed flank, causing Keith to bring his arm up, blocking the assault and kicking his foot out, hooking around the turian's knee and snapping foward with a punch, doubling him over onto his ass.

The drunk had regained his footing sooner that Keith expected, and brought his fist down on Keith's shoulder, missing the human's head, and screamed as he went to tackle him. He latched onto Keith, snarling as he punched at the operator's ribs, before Keith flicked his left hand down, a small, telescoping baton extending from the side of his glove, and brought it back, striking at the vulnerable spot on the drunkard's side, causing the turian to groan in pain and clutch at the injured area. Acting quickly, Keith spun and struck the drunk on the other side as well, before driving his uninjured shoulder into the alien, forcing him back down again.

His shoulder flared in pain as he turned to keep sight of the sober turian, who had also regained his feet and caught Keith in a punch to the face, knocking the visor off and sending it clattering against the smooth floor. As he swayed on his feet, the assaulter advanced, grabbing him by the shirt and attempted to knock his face around some more, forcing Keith to raise his arm again to block the repeated blows. He grabbed onto the turian's extended arm, hoping to tear it off and cease the attack, but finally decided the best course of action was to thrust forward and crack his head into the attacker's chin, causing them both to reel back in pain.

Dazed, Keith rubbed the spot on his forehead, before moving to go back after the still standing turian, when the drunk leapt from behind and grabbed onto his arms, pulling the young man into a hold. Keith's hands swung helplessly, unable to find purchase or something to hit, as the sober turian came back, driving a punch into the operator's gut and causing him to double over in pain, his legs flailing weakly below him. He fought to stay standing, and ready for another blow, when he felt himself slip from the drunk's grasp, causing him to stagger and fall to the floor. His arms immediately clutched around his midsection, as he watched a figure in blue armor throw the drunk into the other, before chasing after and grabbing the both of them by the neck. As the rescuer dragged the assaulting party to the bar, he noticed Tali rush to his side, kneeling as she looked the operator over

"Are you alright?" she hurriedly asked, glancing over his injuries and placing a hand on his forehead.

"I'll live," Keith gasped, wincing in pain as his stomach tensed. He brought a hand up to hers, blinking harshly as she pressed the sore spot on his forehead. "You okay?" he finally asked, having lost track of her during the fight.

"I jumped out of the way, I'm not much of a hand-to-hand fighter, to be honest," she replied, as she stood up, offering him a hand. A moment after he collected himself, he reached up and took the gesture, groaning as he stood up with her assitance. "I'm really sorry I let them do that to you," she added, moving her hand to his uninjured shoulder as she continued to monitor his reactions.

"Hey, I'm sorry I wanted more time with my friend... who-?" his question trailed off as he noted the blue, glowing eyepiece of the turian who held the other two by their collars. Garrus. He had apparently spent the time Keith was rolling on the floor by smacking the two into the bar counter.

"Might I ask why you two were roughing up my friend?" he hissed into their ears, glancing back and forth, waiting for his answer.

"Hey, the human was being an ass-" the drunk was cut off as his face slammed into the counter again, Garrus being unsatisfied with the answer.

"I was treating my friend to a night because he lost his job," the sober one leapt in, his free hand clutching at his bleeding nose, "He wanted to get a little hammered, and he decided to go hit on some females he saw on the dance floor. The human jumped in, started trying to boss him around, and he made a comment about money."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Garrus commented, giving the sober one a somewhat softer bang into the counter.

"Hey, what are you... you gonna back up the human?" the drunk spouted, his head lolling from the trauma and booze, "They're the ones comin... coming in here and pushing us outta the way. You got no turian pride?"

Garrus's eyes lit up as he lifted the both of them up, slamming them back into the counter once more. "And you two figure you're being the shining example? A slobbering drunk and a coward preying on the meek around you?" he snarled, before pulling them up to a standing position and forcing them towards the entryway to the club, passing by the startled Keith and Tali, as well as the volus owner who had finally shown himself during the commotion. "You're lucky I don't throw your asses in a holding cell tonight, but I'm making damn sure that Doran knows your faces aren't allowed back in here.

"Now you, keep better control of your friend," he continued to shout, as he tossed the dry turian down the stairs outisde, before sending the drunken one hurtling after "And you, sober up and find yourself a new occupation. Now get out of my sight, both of you," he finished screaming, before turning on his heel and storming back in. He stopped a few feet short of Keith, looking him up and down, before finally saying, "You look like hell."

"What, not gonna yell at me?" Keith asked in a strained voice, peering back up at the calming down turian.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure you just got yourself between the young lady here and more trouble again." Garrus gave a small smile as Tali's head ducked down, figuring his guess was correct. "Besides, we have a record on those two, they love to cause trouble. Well-"

"What do you mean, Garrus? *ksst*" Doran, the volus, demanded as he stormed up to the turian, catching his attention, "You just let those two known criminals *ksst* just go and walk the streets like nothing happened? *ksst* And what about my bar *ksst*?"

"Doran," Garrus held up a hand, trying to calm down the angry bartender, which appeared a tad funny to Keith, what with Doran only coming up to Garrus's waist, "Would you rather I go back on my offer to the two, throw them in the cell, and then let them come back in, harassing more customers like tonight? I can give you their ID's and your bouncer will have them pinged before they even get within a hundred yards distance of your club." He gave another shrug, "Look on the bright side, there's hardly any damage to the place, and my friend's decided shooting wasn't the answer. Hell, we may decide to lose some credits on your quasar machines, if you'd like."

Doran shifted to the side, thinking to himself, although the furious demeanor stayed with him. "Alright, *ksst* Garrus, you've always been a good client, *ksst* and I'd hate to lose more money with those two still coming back. *ksst* You've got a deal." He gestured behind him to the lingering bouncer to regain his post at the entrance, before turning to waddle back behind the counter, "*ksst* But I'm raising the prices of drinks for you tonight."

"Fine by me, Doran," Garrus replied, before slapping Keith on his injured shoulder, motioning for him to grab a seat at the counter, "I have more credits than necessary, and could definitely use a drink."

"Hey, I'm technically still on duty," Keith spoke, trying to gain the turian's attention, "I can't really be drinking right now."

"Oh no you don't," Garrus cut him off, nodding his head towards the counter, before taking a seat himself, "With marks like that, you're going to be hurting for a while. And besides, drinking alone is a terrible thing to do. C'mon you two."

Keith hesitated for a moment, then moved to the seat besides the turian, noting the spots that he had slammed the attackers' heads on just moments prior, "If you insist... I guess now I've got raised prices to be mad at."

"Well, maybe not too much," Tali corrected him, sitting beside the pair and presenting them with a small item. "I happened to find this."

"A credit chit?" Keith remarked, identifying device she held up, "I thought you said quarians weren't beggars or thieves." He gave a small, feeble laugh as he held his head with a free hand.

"I told you, we're resourceful," she declared, giving the operator a look, "And I didn't steal it, the men dropped it while they were fighting you."

"Well," Garrus spoke up, reaching over and taking the chit from Tali, "I shouldn't be encouraging this sort of behavior, but I guess drinks are on those guys. We'll just drop this in the lost and found later." He grinned as he gestured to Doran, giving a series of finger signals to identify his desired liquor. "Tali, you drinking?"

"What do you think, Garrus?" she asked sarcastically, tilting her head for his response.

"Hey, didn't want to be rude," the turian answered, finishing his order with two fingers and turning back to the pair.

"Oh, Keith, I believe this is yours," Tali pulled his visor from one of the clasps on her hip, presenting it to him to look over.

The device was still in perfect working condition, though a small chip on the earpiece showed the rough situation he got through.

"Thanks Tali, I'm glad it wasn't straight up smashed." Keith smiled at the quarian as he attempted to place it back on his head. Unfortunately, the earpiece gave way from the chip, which cracked further along the ear, and fell apart in his hands. "Dammit."

"Oh... let me see that," Tali requested, taking the parts back in her hands. "It's still in good working order, but it's not going to stay on your head." She turned the earpiece over in her hands for a moment, before adding, "I can fix this for you, it's mostly cosmetic damage, but I can add a few things in here as well."

"Well... thanks, but I don't want you to go through all that trouble," Keith replied, leaning on his elbow as he watched her work the casing against her fingers.

"I insist... you've done a great deal, helping me with those gunmen, and standing up for me here, I'd like to repay you this way." She peered back at him, her eyes glowing from the club's lights, "A quarian is no good if they do not repay favors, that is how it is."

Keith stared back through her mask for a moment, before giving a defeated shrug, though his face bore a smile, "Alright, Tali, you win." He gave a small huff as his shoulder rippled with pain, dropping his arms back to the counter, just in time for a drink to slide against his open palm. He glanced down, noting the lively tinge of blue in the drink, and turned to the turian, who took a generous swig from his glass.

"So Garrus, I have to ask, why didn't you arrest those two?" Keith gave the turian time to answer him, as he took a sip from his own glass. The drink presented a smooth taste, a flare of burn, and a serious bite as it traveled down his throat. He coughed lightly, not used to alcohol quite yet at the age of 23, and shook his head.

"Well, I didn't arrest the two, because I've left C-Sec," Garrus admitted, turning the glass with his forefinger and thumb against the counter. He paused for a moment, "Turns out, the Executor was less than thrilled that I decided to forego his orders, and follow the lead. You see, Dr. Michel runs a clinic down near HQ, and she called me a while back, before the hearing, saying she had heard from a recent patient that she had information about the geth. As it turns out, that patient was our quarian friend there," he pointed down the counter to the designated party, who briefly looked up from her tinkering with the visor.

"I wanted to follow this lead, but the Palin told me that I had no more time. I figured to hell with that, and set out to get this information. When I reached the clinic, however, she was being accosted by a few unsavory people, holding her at gunpoint. I figured I had to work quickly and take them all out, when suddenly Commander Shepard walks right inside and catches the attention of the gunmen." He gave a quiet laugh as he leaned back, waving a hand in the air, "Gave me the perfect moment to get a shot on the bastard holding her. The other men were just astounded that they were getting hit so quickly. Of course that only lasted as long as it took for Shepard to lift the nearby medicine container and slam it into them.

"From there we learned about Tali, and how Michel believe Fist would put her in contact with the Shadow Broker... then I suggested we go and pick up Urdnot Wrex, a bounty hunter who was spending a great deal of time in the area, and we heard that he was looking to kill Fist... which he did, eventually." Garrus tilted his head back as he peered at the ceiling above them, thinking back over the last few hours. "So we stormed Chora's Den, they knew we were coming, and left as soon as Fist told us where we could find her, and Wrex gave him a nice, big hole in the chest."

"Bosh'tet," Tali muttered angrily, though she let the turian continue on.

"So after all was said and done, the hearings and meetings, the Executor called me in. Interestingly, he was thrilled that I had found the evidence to bring down a Spectre... but was still pretty pissed off at how I went behind his back and handled a few things. Even if the people that died were of criminal nature, and would continue doing the things they do." He gave a soft sigh before taking another swig, "What's justice worth if it can't consider what's right and what's wrong?" he asked, turning to his companions.

"Couldn't tell you," Keith answered somberly, taking a drink as well.

"In the end," Garrus continued, nodding at Keith's remark, "I handed my badge in, and sent a message to Shepard. Told her I'd be at Flux, getting a drink or two. I figure she'd come and find me and... maybe we'd go save the galaxy. Or at least die trying to do the right thing." He gave another laugh as he finished his glass off, then waved to Doran, signaling for another pair of drinks. "And hey, the two of you found your way here, maybe now I have reassurance she'll be here."

"You really think she would have come here with a message?" Keith asked, moving to finish off his drink. His head spun slightly, the alcohol already loosening him up.

"I got a feeling from that woman," Garrus stated bluntly, "I always get feelings. That person could care less what other people think, that person wants more money and will find any way they can to get more of it... and then there's Shepard." He paused as the volus slid the glasses down again, giving a nod in his direction, "Shepard... she seems she wants to make right what's going on... not tell us what to do or give us direction. Just come in and stop whoever is hurting the other." He leaned over and nudged Keith in his uninjured side, "What more noble cause can there be?"

"Quite the thinker, aren't you?" Keith joked, giving a toast with his glass and taking a hearty swig.

"Well, I didn't think I'd find everyone here, is Kaiden or Ashley running around?" came Marty's voice, causing the three of them to turn around and notice her. She took a slow look at the three, nodding at Garrus, who she had meant to come meet, and was surprised at Keith and Tali's appearance. She studied Keith's bruises for a moment, before speaking again.

"Damn, what's the other guy look like?" she asked, her gaze turning to Garrus, as if he'd have the better explanation.

"Like a disaster," Keith claimed, giving a large grin as he took another sip. "It was his idea," he quickly added as she noted the drink in his hand, pointing the index finger from his glass at the turian.

Marty shook her head and leaned to the side, crossing her arms, "I don't need to know." She moved forward and sat on the other side of Garrus, taking a look around and noticing the wary glances the other customers were giving the small group at the bar, "So I finished up a few other errands around here, and stopped by the ambassador's office. They left a note that they'll be meeting us at the ship, so I think we should be heading out soon." She propped herself on her elbow as she turned her attention to the turian, "So Garrus, I take it you're coming with us?"

Garrus finished his drink, giving a rough gasp from the bite of the alcohol, and turned back to her, "If you'll have me, Shepard." He shifted in his seat, moving to stand up. "Let's not keep that old ambassador of yours waiting."

"Agreed," Keith stated, before finishing off his glass as well. He moved to the side and stood up straight, though his flushed face showed he was slightly buzzed.

"Keith, are you going to be alright?" Marty asked, concerned about the state of his wellbeing.

"Just knocked around a bit," Keith answered, waving a dismissive hand, "I'm still good to fly a starship." He turned to ensure that Tali was following suit, before glancing back to Marty, "Don't tell Joker I said that."

* * *

_And there we wrap up another chapter. I really enjoyed getting to stretch my talents over this one. A roll of creativity gets going and I had to keep writing more. Looking back, this is a decently long chapter, I believe._

_We'll kick off the next chapter and head to the stars soon, and we'll get to expunging more background in a while as well._

_In any case, thanks for reading, more appreciation if you review, and I'll get more out as soon as I can._

_Fun Fact: This is the first good chapter where my computer hasn't switched off in the middle of writing. :\_


	10. 9 Tell me Why

_I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware_

_by Joshua Scott_

**Tell me Why**

The elevator to the Alliance docking bay slowed to a halt, the soft pings from the console alerting the relaxed squad of their arrival. Marty gave another look towards the ship's technician, and raised an eyebrow as he let out a rather intense sigh. "You okay there, Sunderland?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," he replied, shaking his head slightly and gesturing towards the now open door, "Let's get to the ship, before my forehead decides to swan dive to the floor."

"Really, Keith?" Garrus spoke up, laughing heartily as he moved with the commander, matching her stride. "I picked out an asari drink, those aren't known for taking this long. But then again, what with their long lifespans," he mused, rubbing the spot under his bony chin as he contemplated how worse it was going to get for the young man.

"Laugh it up, why don't you?" Keith shot back, as he gave a small nod to Tali, who was hovering near him in case he should need support. He glanced back and forth along the many landing areas, and spotted the unusual slopes of their ship, as most Alliance vessels featured sharp angles and rigid designs. He pointed towards the Normandy, "There we are, Commander."

"Good eye Keith," she remarked, plodding down a small set of stairs, past another elevator that led to the area. Not many ships were parked at the moment, as the Alliance Navy was spread across their own settlements, mostly to protect the colonies, but also because of the Turian Fleet. As the figurative peacekeepers of the galaxy, the Turian Empire was allowed the most numbers in ships among the major races, and it showed, as the dozens of gleaming figures off in the atmosphere of the Citadel. While the asari and salarians had their own armadas to speak of, the turians were the forefront of citadel space, ready to spring to action should an attack come their way.

As they neared their craft, the two newer members of the squad took in the structure, gazing along its side in amazement. Tali seemed awestruck, tilting her head as her eyes ran along the curving hull, working their way over the engines and the forward batteries, "Incredible."

"I had heard something of a collaboration like this," Garrus stated, crossing his arms as he too studied the craft, "The Alliance petitioning our fleet for ship designs, or something like that."

"This was actually sponsored by the Council, as it turns out," Keith informed the group, leaning against the nearby guardrail, "We had expressed an interest in developing advanced ships, and we put forth that having a cooperative effort with other species, we could build new, proficient ships, perhaps better to scout our space and defend our establishments." He gave a grin and waved his hand aft along the hull, "Welcome to the Normandy, guys."

Marty gave a small smile as she nudged Keith in the shoulder, "What, you plan on giving them the tour? I thought you didn't like that kind of thing, or maybe you're just a happy drunk."

"I am not drunk, just buzzed," he snapped back at her, as the sounds of the airlock to the ship hissed open. He quickly moved to attention as the ambassador walked out, followed closely by Anderson. Keith frowned as he studied Anderson's face, noting the somewhat defeated expression.

"Ah, Shepard," Udina spoke, somewhat startled by their sudden run-in, "I've got good news for you." He waved a hand to the captain, "Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now."

The captains face fell back to a neutral show as the ambassador gestured in his direction, though he crossed his arms before himself. "She's quick and quiet and you know the crew," he spoke firmly, nodding at the ambassador's words, "Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander."

Marty blinked in surprise, her gaze turning to meet Anderson's. "Wait, what's going on? I want the truth, Captain. Why are you really stepping down?"

"You need your own ship. A Spectre can't answer to anyone but the Council," the captain calmly answered, "And it's time for me to step down."

"Cap, that's not a great answer," Keith quietly mentioned, though audibly enough for the other party to hear.

"He's right," Shepard agreed with the young man standing by her side, "Come clean with me, you owe me that much."

Anderson hesitated for a moment, staring at the floor, before returning to meet her gaze. "I was in your shoes twenty years ago, Shepard. They were considering me for the Spectres program." His jaw clenched for a brief second, as he glanced back to the technician, who returned an intrigued look.

"What went wrong?" Shepard asked, not following his drifting attention.

"I failed, I didn't make the cut," Anderson admitted, though his tone stayed in the same calm demeanor. "It's not something I'm proud of. I'll tell you about it later, if you wish. All you need to know is I was on a mission with Saren, and he made sure that the Council rejected me." He glanced to the side for a moment, collecting himself, "My shot came and went, but now you have a chance to make up for my mistakes."

Marty stayed silent for a moment, his words sinking in, before she gave a small nod, "You can count on me, sir."

"Saren's gone," Anderson followed her train of thought, knowing she'd ask for leads, "You probably won't be able to just find him. But we know what he's after. The Conduit. He's got his geth scouring the Traverse looking for clues."

"We had reports of geth activity in the Feros system before our colony there dropped out of contact," Udina interrupted the captain, raising a datapad in his hands and reading quickly. "There also has been sighting around Noveria."

"You should head to those locations, find out what Saren was after," Anderson affirmed, "Maybe you can figure out where the Conduit is before he does."

"What about the Reapers?" Shepard asked, "They're the real threat."

"I'm with the Council on this one," Udina answered her abruptly, waving a hand to cut her off. "I don't see any real evidence that they exist."

"But if they do exist," Anderson spoke up again, "the Conduit's the key to bringing them back. Stop Saren from getting the Conduit and we stop the Reapers from returning."

"I'll stop him," Marty declared, nodding intently.

"We have one more lead," Udina spoke again, peering back at his datapad, "Matriarch Benezia, that other voice on the recording? She has a daughter, a scientist who specializes in the Protheans." He finally glanced up to the commander as he continued to speak, "We don't know if she's involved, but it might be a good idea to try and find her, learn what she knows. Her name is Dr. Liara T'Soni." He paused once more as his eyes drifted back to the datapad, "We have reports she was exploring an archeological dig on one of the uncharted worlds in the Artemis Tau cluster. If you act quickly, she may still be there."

"Sounds like a good place to start, we'll head for the Artemis Tau cluster," Marty answered, turning to affirm her decision with her squad.

"You don't answer to us, Shepard," Anderson stated, catching her attention again, "You're a Spectre now. What you do is up to you."

"But your actions still reflect on humanity as a whole," Udina jumped in, setting his datapad to the side, "You make a mess, I get stuck cleaning it up."

"I'll try not to make your job too difficult," Marty replied quickly, holding a hand up in an apologetic sense. "But I will do whatever it takes to stop Saren."

"Not exactly what I was looking for, Shepard," Udina admitted gruffly, "Remember, you were a human long before you were a Spectre." The ambassador shifted his stance slightly, "I have a meeting to get to, Captain Anderson can answer any questions you may have." He nodded to the group before turning to hand a small optical disc to Anderson, containing the information he had from the Council databases, and finally turned away, heading up the steps towards the elevators leading to the majority of the Citadel.

A moment followed before Keith spoke up, "Huh... I wonder how sore he is about the krogan merc we let saunter onto our ship, I mean if he's this tense about the whole Saren thing." He was mostly ignored by the others, aside from the turian who gave a small laugh.

Marty turned her attention to the captain, who had finally relaxed in his stance. "How are you holding up?" she asked, trying to break him out of his thoughts.

Anderson shook his head as peered at the floor. "Honestly? This isn't how I pictured my career coming to an end." He gave a small sigh, "Pushing papers just isn't my thing. But you're the one who can stop Saren. I believe in you Shepard, and if I have to step aside, so be it."

"Captain, if you don't mind me asking for the Commander," Keith spoke up, standing at attention, "What did happen between you and Saren."

The captain gave a small nod, knowing Keith was smart enough to have figured out that he was in the running for Spectre beforehand, and his polite demeanor meant to keep from upsetting him. "It's close to twenty years now," he started, his eyes darting to the corners of his peripheral, hoping the only ones hearing him were the squad before him, "Ambassador Goyle was our representative here on the Citadel. Like Udina, she wanted to get a human into the Spectres. As the events at the time were unfolding, she chose me." He cupped his hands behind his back, tilting his head to bring the memories to the forefront of his mind, "The Council agreed, and sent Saren along with me on a mission, to keep an eye on me and evaluate my performance. Sort of like they sent Nihlus to keep tabs on you."

"So what happened, I'd like to know the whole story," Marty stated after a small pause in his speech.

"We had intel on a rogue scientist being funded by batarian interests," Anderson answered her, though the inflection of his voice led Keith to assume he wasn't telling the full truth. "He was trying to set up a facility to develop illegal AI technology out in the Verge. Alliance intel had done all of the work, but the Council wanted a Spectre involved. We compromised, and I was assigned to help Saren in his investigation.

"We tracked the scientist to a refining facility on Camala, he was hidden somewhere inside, protected by an army of mercenaries." His eyes drifted to the side, peering out towards the Widow, "The plan was simple, sneak into the plant, capture the scientist, sneak back out. Quick, quiet, and a minimum of bloodshed."

"I'm guessing things didn't go as planned?" Marty asked, her interests invested in the retelling.

"Saren and I split up to cover more ground," Anderson continued, as his eyes stayed away from the squad, "About halfway through the mission, there was a massive explosion in the refinery core." He paused again, closing his eyes and shaking his head, fighting away the horrible visions that crept in from the memories. "Officially, it was ruled an accident, but I think Saren detonated it on purpose to draw out the enemy guards."

"That's horrible," Tali whispered, shock displayed in her voice.

"Did anyone else make it out?" Marty asked, tilting her head to the side.

"The explosion tore the refinery to shreds," the captain replied, tilting his head as he recalled the events. "The whole place was on fire, black chemical clouds poured out into the atmosphere... nobody inside survived." He closed his eyes shut again, fighting off a series of shakes as he continued, "There was a camp for the workers and their families nearby. Between the fires and the toxic fumes, the final death count was over five hundred. Mostly civilians."

Anderson gave a sigh to regain his composure, "Saren didn't care. The target was eliminated, mission accomplished, and I ended up taking the blame. That ended all talk of me joining the Spectres."

"Wait, how did you end up taking the blame?" Marty stopped him, crinkling her brow at his statements.

"In his report, Saren accused me of blowing his cover," Anderson answered, turning to pace back and forth as he worked his way through the past, "He said it was my fault the guards were ready for us, claimed that's why it turned into a massacre." He finally stopped as he turned his attention back to the commander, "Saren's report was all the proof the Council needed to kill my chances of becoming a Spectre."

"Don't blame yourself, Cap," Keith jumped in, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the commanding officer.

"I don't, I blame Saren," Anderson replied, nodding to the operator. "I think he wanted things to go bad. He was looking for an excuse to blow that refinery. Maybe he just likes the violence, or maybe he was just trying to make me look bad to keep humans out of the Spectres. If so, he pulled it off."

"Well, he's not getting away with this one," Marty declared, bringing the conversation back to the present.

"You're right, no use dwelling in the past." The Captain glanced back to the Widow, as if wondering if the glowing star in the distance were listening, "I should let you go, Commander, you've got work to do."

"Yes sir," Marty responded, snapping to salute the captain, who returned in kind.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I need to speak with Sunderland, before you get on your way."

"Pardon, sir?" he replied, also snapping to attention. His mind swayed the tiniest bit, as he fought against the effects of the alcohol, trying to look the standard for an Alliance crew member. The thoughts in his head raced as he thought about the bruises that showed on his face, as well as the reports of the gunfights he had participated in the alleys of the wards.

"I have spoken with other officers regarding your performance as well," Anderson stated firmly, cupping his hands behind his back, "They believe that your handling of the mission and reports of Eden Prime in Shepard's temporary absence was a show of leadership, as well as apt thinking in a dire moment." The captain gave a small smile, "Not only that, but your past actions have also shown a great deal of promise from you. After some conferring about these details, we've agreed that you be rewarded for your efforts in your service."

The captain straightened up, peering back at Keith's astounded face, "Keith Sunderland, as a representative of the Alliance Navy, it is my duty, and honor, to bestow you with the rank of Ensign, and declare you ready for training in the N7 Special Operations field." He gave a warm smile as Keith's eyes blinked and widened, the stupefying effects of booze suddenly coming to a halt, "I'm sorry we couldn't have a ceremony or anything for this, I assumed you'd be wanting to head out with Shepard as soon as possible."

Keith stood silent for a moment, before shaking off his shock and giving another salute, a smile beaming from his face, "Er, thank you sir, I'm really... I- I'm grateful for this, really," he stammered, before giving a small wince from the pain that crept back into his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Keith," Anderson spoke in the familiar tone he used with his crew, "As Ensign, you're free to choose your station on any ship in the Alliance, if they'll have you. But I do believe you're needed with Shepard aboard the Normandy." He crossed his arms and leaned back, "Not only that, we've determined having you with the Commander will act as hands-on training, to further your progress, if you desire, that is."

Keith glanced sideways to the commander, catching the large smile on her lips, before he turned back, "Absolutely, I think the Normandy's the girl for me, and I'm in this mission til the end, sir." He stood at ease before his peers, his chest puffing out a small distance, though he fought hard against bragging about it.

"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I leave you and your crew to your discretion, treat her well. Sunderland, I've left your bars with Navigator Pressly. If there's anything else you need, you can contact me at any time, all of you."

"Well then, Captain, we'll be off," Marty replied, giving another salute to Anderson and moving towards the airlock, the squad following after. Anderson continued to stand at the side, watching the doors slide shut and the Normandy's systems starting to hum somewhat louder.

"Well, congratulations, Keith," Marty finally spoke, as the ship's VI programs fired up the decontaminating functions of the airlock, the faint clouds of sterilizing agents wafting through the vents. "I'm proud to have you serving on my ship."

"I believe we should celebrate in some way," Garrus declared, rubbing his chin, "Perhaps drinks are in order?"

"Dammit Garrus, I'm on duty!" Keith shouted, his voice filling the small room they were stuck in.

* * *

"So hey, promotion, that's cool," Joker stated somewhat sarcastically, not turning towards the operator at his side. "I mean, the captain has to step down, the rest of the crew just do their job, and you're the one that gets shiny bars on your outfit. Aside from Shepard, y'know, getting saddled with Spectre-ship, I think you're the guy pulling us up and onwards. 'Grats man."

"Shut the hell up, Joker," Keith responded in an amused manner, as he took a sip from his drink container, "You don't have to be all jealous." He glanced down towards his shoulder, the small, polished gold bar pinned to his jumpsuit. He had insisted in abstaining from a more official looking uniform, keeping with the traditional outfit that the majority of recruits wore, though he kept his zipper at the belt line to keep his body cool. This was a purely superficial change for temperature, though, as most suits had an internal cooling system to keep their bodies at a relative state. He felt it was more comfortable, however, and made sure to keep a shirt on underneath, though the tattoos on his chest still peeked out over the collar.

The drink had eventually run its course through Keith's system, and he managed to return to his duties quickly, though at the moment, his duties involved getting Joker a refreshment. "I'm certain after all this is said and done, you'll be next in line for induction to the Spectres," he gave a small laugh and sat back in the copilot's chair.

"Totally, just running around out there, blasting pirates and scoring all those asari babes, I'd be the best damn gun out there," Joker fired back, cracking a grin as he placed his drink back to the small, recently added cup-holder.

"Asari babes, huh?" Keith asked, raising his glass in a small, mock of a toast, "Didn't know you liked 'em blue."

"Hey, they all look the same underneath their clothes as our girls, that's fine with me," the pilot replied, as he checked over his terminal.

"True, they are quite curvaceous," Keith agreed, taking another sip from his drink as he caught the light reflecting off of Shepard's red hair in the corner of his eye.

"You boys should talk to Alenko," she interrupted the pair, "He got a good eyeful back at Chora's Den." She gave a small grin to Keith and moved to stand between the two men.

"I bet he did," Joker acknowledged her presence, glancing over his shoulder, "Lieutenant's great at holding his own, but damn if he's terrible with the ladies." He took a moment to adjust a setting on his interface, before turning back to her again, "Sucks what happened with the Captain. Survives a hundred battles, and then gets taken down by backroom politics. Just watch your back, Commander. Things go bad on this mission, you're next on their chopping block."

Marty gave a grim nod, "This doesn't feel right. He should be in charge, it feels like I'm stealing the ship from him."

Keith furrowed his brow as he set his drink to the side, "Hey, Shepard, that's just the way the orders went."

"Yeah, the captain got screwed," Joker nodded with his nearby crew member, "But it's not like you could've stopped it. Nobody's blaming you. Everyone on this ship is behind you, Commander. One hundred percent." He glanced back towards Keith, who gave a small nod, knowing what he was about to ask him. "Intercom's open. If you've got anything to say to the crew, now's the time," he informed the commander, gesturing to the panel between him and the operator.

Marty took a moment to think the proposition over, catching the somewhat impatient look from her subordinates. Finally, she leaned over, moving to hold the button indicated by the two, and took a breath.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking," she began, making sure her voice was clearly projected over the ship's speakers. "We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew, this mission is not going to be easy." She glanced over her shoulder, her eye catching Tali and Garrus, who were speaking with Navigator Pressly back at the charts. "For too long, our species has stood apart from the others. Now, it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy. Time to show them what humans are made of.

"Our enemy knows we're coming," she continued, peering up and out of the view ports of from the pilots station, hoping to catch sight of the captain, standing stalwart and at attention, "When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too."

She glanced over towards the operator, who gave a thumbs up, urging her onwards. "Humanity needs to do this," she declared, standing straight as she addressed the comms, "Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all, we will stop him." She nodded and released the communications button, the speakers giving a small blip as they disconnected.

"Well said, commander, the captain would be proud," Joker affirmed, smiling as he placed his hands to the rest before his terminal.

"The captain gave up everything so I could have this chance," Marty replied, her gaze returning from the view ports, "We can't fail." She turned towards the operator, "Keith, send a message to the new recruits, they may need briefing in the comm room. Joker, let's get headed to the Artemis Tau cluster."

"Aye aye, commander," Keith replied, tapping his fingers along his omnitool and firing off a short message across the ship's internal network, before hopping up and accompanying her towards the small room near the center of the ship.

* * *

Keith wiped at the sweat on his forehead with a rag, having spent the last several minutes crouched down by the console at the edge of the engine room, the Tantalus drive core pulsing and humming quietly, as he squinted at the exposed wiring. "Adams, how exactly did the guys manage to miss this?" he asked, pointing an open palm up towards the problem he had mentioned.

The Chief Engineer gave a small shrug, "Well Keith, I wasn't here during the construction, it could have been anyone's oversight that failed." He was busy looking over the other screens, maintaining the stable readings of the drive core and communicating with the other nearby crew. "I'm just glad to have the best handyman in the Alliance with me to fix it."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just mad that someone decided to half-ass something that the Council wanted cooperation with."

"You could be thankful that it's only the comms from this terminal that's failing," Adams tried to calm him down, "If it was anything else, we would have had our ship's ass flown off without us."

"Heh, that'd piss off quite a few people," Keith laughed with the engineer, as he pulled a pair of pliers from the nearby toolbox. The soft ping and hiss of the nearby door opening caught Keith's ear, and he glanced from his laid down position to note the three toed boots moving towards his location. He adjusted himself slightly, peering out from under the console, and found Tali had walked into the engine room, seemingly startled from the size of the engine before her. As she moved forward, a few of the other crew members caught sight of her and stepped out of the way, unsure how to act around her. She soon regained her composure and spotted the operator laying on his back and staring back at her.

"Oh, hello Keith," she finally spoke, moving closer to him and kneeling down, "What are you working on down there?"

"Ah just some misaligned wires, really," Keith answered her, working the pliers between two cables that had become tangled together. "You'd think we'd have everything in circuit boards and such, but we need to power them, still."

"I see," she replied, before turning her gaze up to the aged man standing near the pair. "Oh, hello sir. My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," she introduced herself, standing up to greet him. "I was touring the ship, I'm amazed at what I've seen so far."

"Oh, well thank you," Adams spoke back, giving a polite nod, "I'm Chief Engineer Adams, I'm here to keep make sure our technician staff is doing the best they can." He paused for a moment, watching her peer back and forth around the chamber, "You look like you have something on your mind."

"I was curious, that's a very large drive in such a small ship," she admitted, turning to view the core, the bolts of energy flaring along the edges of the engine.

"Oh, this is a prototype core, the Tantalus. It's supposed to be faster, and with other systems we can engage in stealth activities in hostile areas."

"Generally we can generate mass fields that allow us to move without using the thrusters," Keith spoke up, placing the pliers to the side and feeling around in the tools for a pair of wire strippers. "Can I get some help?" he asked, making a clipping motion with his hand.

"That's incredible," Tali admitted, before kneeling and grabbing the tool Keith needed and presenting it to him. "I had no idea humanity was capable of making such things. No wonder your fleet is one of the strongest in Citadel space."

"Well, the Normandy's one of a kind," Keith stated, unclasping a bundle of wires to sift through them and check their connections.

"He's right," Adams spoke, "This ship's represents our cutting edge technologies, maybe there'll be more like this frigate in the future, if all goes well."

"Well, they better get their damn connections right, I can't be on all of those ships in the future," Keith cut him off, swearing as a long, curled wire fell down and smacked him on the nose. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Here, I'll help," Tali offered, reaching down and taking hold of a few of the cords so he could use his hands more freely.

"Thanks, it's nice to have a pair of extra hands," Keith peered into the guts of the console and located the appropriate port.

"You seem to enjoy ship technologies, I assume you do a great deal of work back on the Flotilla," Adams commented, watching her assist the operator.

"Well, it comes with being a quarian, yes," she confirmed, "A while ago I had to patch in a new fuel line for a recommissioned tugboat. We're always repairing, modifying or restructuring something." She seemed to smile under her mask, "But for patches and the like, we need to find other raw materials. Hence our Pilgrimage."

"So... you look for deposits of minerals... for gifts?" Keith asked, giving her an inquisitive look as he his hands continued the work.

"Well, if it can help the fleet, but most quarians look for something of significant worth. We certainly don't turn down materials, but there's other things we could present. Knowledge that we can share that makes life easier for us, a new technology that we can work into our systems. We need something of worth, something that improves our quality of life." She turned back up to Adams, noticing he was listening as well, "What we bring back is not only to help the fleet, but prove ourselves capable as an adult, and that we can take on the responsibilities of a full crew member."

"Ahuh, that's a far cry from what we do," Keith muttered softly, as he gave the cables one more look over. "We generally just have school, then they kick us out into the real world, get a job, prove yourself, or something." Giving a nod, he handed Tali the tools he was using and slipped out from underneath the terminal. "But I have to admit, it sounds very dangerous. I mean, how is it you function in Citadel space like the rest of us if you've lived on the Flotilla your whole life?"

"We're given several lessons about the other species," she answered simply, standing up with him, "How various cultures act, what your governments are like, how to behave around you. We update our translators, equip ourselves with what we might need, and then set out." She held her hands aloft, "From there, we decide where we should travel, and hope we find something. It's dangerous, yes, but we come to accept many things as hazardous."

"Like what?" he asked, wiping his forehead again, and cursing that his suit hadn't been doing a great job at keeping him cool.

"Well, for starters, our immunity system is far weaker than other species," her voice softened slightly as she spoke, "Centuries of isolation on our ships has weakened our already terrible immune systems, especially with the suits we wear. It's something we must do, unfortunately."

Keith rubbed his chin for a moment, "So... that explains your food coming in tubes?" He was obviously taken aback with the quarian culture, and was attempting to soften his cluelessness.

"Yes, our food is sterilized and packaged in those containers. Even then, we have to be careful, to see if it's been tampered with." She glanced back to Engineer Adams, who had been watching the pair as they conversed. "I'm sorry, I must be keeping you from your duties," she bowed her head in an apologetic manner.

"Nothing to worry about, miss," Adams replied, taking a datapad in hand, "You seem enthusiastic about all this, maybe I can find something for you to do down here."

"Oh, I... yes, even if I am a guest on this ship, I'll do my best to help out around here," her fingers danced with one another, giving off a small sign of nerves, "I appreciate this."

"My pleasure," Adams smiled, a rare thing from the usually emotionless man. He turned his head back to Keith and gave it a small jerk towards the console, "You have it fixed, Ensign?"

"I believe I do," Keith answered, turning around and stabbing at the button on the interface, "Let's see if it's working." A soft ping came out of the stand, and the operator leaned over, "Ground control to Major Tom, Ground Control to Major Tom, come in Major Tom."

"Keith..." Adams started, chuckling softly.

"Yeah, what is it Keith?" Joker's voice came through, the slight grating in his voice showing no real concern.

"Checking the comms, just making sure it's working, you got an update on the away team?" Keith asked, ignoring the Chief Engineer.

"Well, the team's been ground-side for a while, I haven't received any reports, so I can't tell you much."

The ship had picked up a distress beacon from the Sparta system, and Shepard had decided to investigate. While it was highly unlikely that an asari researcher had acquired an Alliance beacon, the commander stated it should be investigated regardless of the user.

"Alright, engine room, out." Keith stabbed the same button again, turning back to his companions, "Looks good, I'll close it up for you," he declared to Adams, before moving to lay back down on the floor for a better working angle. He pulled a container of sealant from the toolbox, peeking his head out to peer up at the quarian watching him.

"Sorry, do you need help?" she asked, kneeling down by his side and letting her hands hover over the toolbox.

"Nah, I've got this," he stated, applying the adhesive around the edges of the panel, and carefully placing it back to cover the exposed electronics. "Thanks for asking though." He pushed against the panel, testing it to make sure the bond had held, and moved to stand up again, "Well, there you go, Chief." He stretched lightly and moved to gather up the tools, before giving a small salute to the engineer. "Call me if anything else needs my hands."

"Sure will, Sunderland," Adams replied, returning the salute as well, before an approaching crew member with a datapad in hand caught the engineer's attention.

Keith lugged the toolbox with him, carrying it towards the door to the engine room, and stashed the container inside of a small locker next to the railing. As he signed the small pad on the locker's door, signifying he had returned the tools, he caught sight of Tali speaking with Adams and the other crew member A series of hand gestures later, the crew member gave a surprised nod, and turned away, heading for another nearby terminal lining the railing. Shortly after, Adams gave an approving nod and gestured towards the console he had been working on, suggesting they see what she could do.

The operator laughed quietly and closed the locker before turning away and exiting the engine room. He passed through the small hallway leading to the cargo bay, where the Mako infantry vehicle would have been parked, had Shepard not needed it for the away mission. Keith's eyes scanned over the room, though his foot caught a container laying haphazardly along the floor. He stumbled for a moment before catching himself, his gaze switching back to the container on the floor.

"Ooh, sorry Ensign," he heard Ashley call out, as she jogged over and picked up the box. "I was helping stock the requisitions and get the weapons doled out, the officer got a little carried away with what he wanted." She grinned at him and jerked her head towards the weapons lockers, "Come for a chat?"

"Not really, I should be getting off-duty soon," Keith replied, shaking his head as he followed her anyway. "Need to catch some sleep."

"Aww, that's too bad, I thought my company could keep people energized," she commented as she placed the crate next to the table, the array of rifles, pistols, and shotguns strewn about. She had apparently been recording each piece that came on board and placing them into the lockers, depending on weapon type, and arranged by make and model. "So a birdy tells me that quarian's been hanging off of you a whole lot, lately."

"Oh, Tali? Yeah, she's a sweet girl," Keith admitted, taking a moment to lean against the table, his eyes running over the collected armaments. "I think she likes that I have experience in getting things to work."

"Well, good for you," she smiled again while reaching over towards the computer laying on the left hand side of the table, "Although I'd be careful and see if she wanted to take the ship apart."

Keith's eyes narrowed as he mulled over her last remark, "No, I think she's more in line with putting things back together. At least, the things that are supposed to be working." He blinked his eyes, sensing his body getting more tired.

"Still, she's always got that suit on, you never know," she warned him, her hands idly tapping away at the computer.

Keith straightened up and glared at her, "What are you trying to say, Ashley?" he asked, crossing his arms as he waited for an answer.

Ashley took a moment to sigh, "Sorry, I... it's kind of a family deal." She turned to look Keith in the eye, a frown displayed on her lips, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Maybe," Keith replied, crinkling his brow. He leaned back against the table, half-sitting on the edge, and waited for her explanation.

"Well, my grandfather was General Williams, way back in the hey-days," she finally admitted, pausing again to see his reaction.

Keith tilted his head, blinking as he thought it over, "I've heard that name... oh wait, oh!" He uncrossed his arms, placing a hand against the edge for support, "I never really could have made that connection."

"Yeah, well, that's how it goes." She threw her hands before her, "My grandfather is one of the highest ranking officers in the military, and because he believes the best course of action was to surrender our garrison to a new enemy, that his name is to be shunned for the rest of our days. If they could have taken his medals away, I'm sure they would have.

"The turians didn't care that marines were trying to get food or supplies, they'd drop destroyed stations or ships, take out an entire city block. What kind of sick bastards do that?" She looked like she was ready to spit on the cargo floor, but refrained. "Grandpa finally gave in, civilians were dying, and he couldn't really do anything. Then, soon enough, Second Fleet comes in, saves everyone, takes all the credit, and grandpa gets called a traitor... not officially, at least. As for dad and me, our name has kinda weighed us down, we have a hard time getting through the ranks. But... that's how it goes." She peered back at Keith, wanting to hear his thoughts.

The operator rubbed his chin, before looking back to her, "Honestly, I would have agreed with your grandfather. I can't see why they'd do that to him, and it sucks, but he wanted to protect civilian lives." He gave a small shrug, "I understand you may not trust all aliens, I mean, I'm not completely innocent with that, but the ones on our ship legitimately want to help us." Keith paused for a moment, before adding, "Well, maybe not Wrex, he just wants to fight."

"Heh, right, it's kinda hard to see krogan as anything but," she admitted, giving a small laugh.

"Of course, hell, that's what he says," Keith commented, causing her to laugh some more. "You know, I'm glad I got to know you some more, Ashley," he said, giving a broad grin.

"Thanks... now you know some about me, what about you?" she asked, propping herself on an elbow, her eyes narrowing with her question. "You said you weren't completely down with aliens."

"Well, unfortunately for you," Keith responded, bringing up his wrist and firing up the watch function of his omnitool, "I'm officially off-duty, and I am tired." He stood up, stretching his back in the process, "But, maybe later I'll tell you about it."

"Well damn, you got this girl to give up a lot of her secrets, and you didn't even buy me dinner," she joked, giving a playful shove to Keith's shoulder.

"Cute, but I don't date Alliance," the operator fired back, giving a small wave over his shoulder as he walked towards the elevator near the back of the cargo hold.

"What about the aliens?" she asked, watching as he moved away from her.

"I don't have to answer that," he said loudly, not caring what crew members nearby could hear. "Hey, when Shepard gets back, let her know I'm in the pods."

"Sure thing butterbars, get some shut-eye," Ashley called after him.

"Thanks... wait, dammit!" he yelled, as the door to the elevator slid shut, having just realized what she called him.

_Hooray, more already made dialogue. ** *eatsagun*** At least the last half is mostly self-written._

_I want to thank you guys, again, for reading my writings, and yes, Keith's story will be going places, hopefully in ways you guys like. As for his history... well, give it a couple of chapters, maybe, and I'll get to it eventually._

_I hope to get more writing done soon, as some other games are looking to be released real soon. Please read and review, I hope you enjoy it, if not, I hope you can elaborate, criticism helps._

_See you guys next time._

_DoubleFunFact: Downloaded a new writing program that autosaves, so computer fritzing costs me less for careless forging ahead of words. Unfortunately, doesn't like me trying to doublespace between scenes, as I've just been informed. Sorry folks, I'll try to pick up on that in the future._


	11. 10 Is there a Doctor in here?

_ I own no characters unless explicitly stated. All characters, locations, and much of this story should be considered property of Bioware unless explicity stated. Even then, assume most material written here is the property of Bioware. The Mass Effect trademarks are to be considered the property of Bioware_

_by Joshua Scott_

**Is there a Doctor in here?**

_ Keith was laughing as he grabbed the drink out of the asari's hand, who reached out to him, pulling the operator over towards the rolling hills, where the rest of his friends waited. The outskirts of Elysium were always a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and his father had gathered their friends and family for a barbeque, well, as best as he could manage, what with the various species different diets._

_ The food didn't matter to him, as Fiella pulled him around towards the plump Bo, placed upon a stool and telling a series of jokes. As his father roared in laughter, Keith's friends beckoned the pair over to their spot on the grass, as if the girl was taking him elsewhere. The words were blurring past him, as his eyes swept left and right to catch the colors and sights around him, wanting to seize the moment in memory. His turian friend, Tejis, slapped him on the back, and gestured to the card game in the middle of the group, urging him to sit down with them. Keith began to comply, but stopped as a strong wind gusted past, and an explosion surged from the ground._

_ He fell to his back, his head rolling as his family were washed away in the bright orange-red haze, dirt and ashes spraying everywhere. There were no screams or even a sense of anguish as his friends were overtaken by the flare of the blasts. A small group of armored beings rushed towards him, their feet working in a sprint, but they were making no real distance, as Keith instinctively went for his pistol, taking aim and pulling the trigger. The gun, however, made no reaction, and he felt his fingers stiffen, as he tried to weakly squeeze the gun, make it shout._

_ Shaking the firearm in one hand, he peered up to the forefront member, who's helmet had fallen off from another explosion. Two pairs of eyes glared down at him, his large, flabby lipped mouth stretched wide open in a scream, his pointed teeth bared as he raised a large knife, rushing towards the young man. Keith turned to yell for backup, assistance, something, and kept his finger working against the trigger, as he watched soldiers turn and leave him, heading off for other, unseen fights behind the dust clouds._

_ He swiveled his head to the other side, as someone called his name, "Sunderland!" A young woman in armor running towards him and his attacker, bringing a rifle to bear and opening fire on the alien attacker. The chatter of the gun seemed to warp, wrapping around Keith's head as he watched the flying metal shards embed themselves into the assaulter. The attacker stopped and shook violently, before leaning down, clutching at his wounds, though he did not fall over. After what seemed an hour, the figure peered back up at Keith, his eyes turned black as the cheeks began to slide down the face, lips still bared in agony as they liquidated, the face coming down, sliding from the skull, and revealing a harsh, bright-blue light staring back at him. "Sunderland!" it droned, the voice from the monstrosity identifying him in a stuttering manner, the voice filtered via speakers._

_ The alien's fingers elongated, reaching out towards the shocked Keith, wanting to reach him as it's armor fell away as well, revealing a metallic skeleton underneath. He watched in horror as the large light split in two, forming eyes, then a mouth appearing, gasping as he was pulled towards the abomination, his breath catching as he fought to work his shoulders out of it's grasp._

"Sunderland!"

Keith's head jerked to the side, his cranium smashing against the foam support of the sleeper-pod's interior. His eyes flickered open as the soft beeping brought him out of his sleep, taking a large breath through his nose as the interface on the side of the currently opaque view glass flickered. The soft, orange light from the panel fuzzed as he blinked away the tired feeling, and pressed the button for next to the device.

"I'm awake, yes?" he announced, as his head rolled back, stretching the muscles in his neck as he straightened himself in the cramped space.

"Commander sent me down to wake you up, says you'll be heading out with her," the female voice came back, "Joker says we'll be there in an hour, tops."

"Alright, I'm up," Keith murmured, as he arched his back, attempting to pop the lower area before he flipped the small switch next to the glass, allowing the obstructing field to disperse and let the cabin lights of the Normandy to slither in. Another lever pulled later, the door gave a small hiss, and slid upwards as the pod came to a more upright position, allowing him to step out to the walkway of the quarters. He braced himself against the frame of the opening, looking up to the young woman who stood by, her arms crossed as she waited for him to clear the pod. Taking a quick look around, Keith ascertained why she was waiting for him, noting the his pod the only one currently upright.

"Sorry, can I ask how long I got?" he questioned her, his eyes traveling from the pale, blone hair to the identifying tag on her crew outfit, Lowe.

"Pod says a full eight hours," she responded in kind, before moving to offer a hand, which he politely declined, standing up straight and stretching more openly.

"Yeah, well who knows how they programmed these things," Keith muttered as he stood to the side, "'s all yours," he added, gesturing to the bed, "Get some shut-eye Lowe."

"Thank you, sir," she stated, before moving to use the outer control panel, as Keith slowly made his way from the sleeper-pods towards the mess. He rubbed his forehead before pulling his hand away, staring at it as his feet carried him towards the showers. His right hand was stiff, as if he had been at the firing range back home all day again. A small sigh escaped his lips, "I thought I was done with that nightmare crap."

A small meal and shower later, Keith pinged Shepard using his omni-tool and reaching back to tap his earcuff. "Hey, Marty?" he asked aloud, as he scanned the deck for a sign of her.

"I'm down at the lockers, Keith," her voice came a moment later, "You coming?"

"Yes ma'am, I'll be there in a moment," he replied, as he turned and headed towards the elevator connecting the quarters to the engineering deck. He stepped aside as the large, lumbering form of Urdnot Wrex stomped out of the elevator, stopping shortly to acknowledge the operator.

"Keith," he greeted the young man in his low, gutteral voice.

"Wrex," Keith replied, nodding his head to the mercenary, before the two continued on their way, Wrex headed for the mess area, and Keith towards the lower deck.

The ride was over quickly, and he stepped out, heading to the far left area before the bay door, where he spotted the red hair of the commander, 'Such an easy way to find her,' he mused, and quickly strode over to her side.

"So how are we doing?" Keith asked as he got within earshot of the commander, who turned her head to check over her shoulder. She gave a small smile and nodded towards his locker, urging him to follow suit.

"Get geared up, Ensign, I'm taking you dirt-side with me," she declared, before standing up and turning back towards him. He scanned her armor, the scarlet stripe running down the right arm that matched her hair color seemed to pop-out even more, and the N7 proudly emblazoned on her chest seemed to gleam, even with the dim lights of the cabin.

"I assume this would be my first training session?" he asked, as he pried open his locker, reaching in for his own suit of light armor. He turned it around in his hands, checking to make sure it had been cleaned properly, and he hadn't missed a spot of the gasbag's mess.

"Sure thing," Marty responded as she moved towards the armory table, scanning through the registry for her choice weapons, "Plus I thought you might be tired being stuck on the ship."

"Hey, I don't think I'm quite tired of the girl yet, she's so snug to be in," he replied, as he worked himself into the armor. A moment's pause and a thought over what he just said, he quickly added, "Er... sorry about that."

Shepard didn't seem to catch the comment, and failed to make any gesture of mistaking his meaning, instead turning to ask, "So I thought you would be up at the pilot's section, with Joker." She gave a small shrug, "Isn't that your station?"

"Well," he paused, as he had moved to his boots, pulling them on and fastening them tighter, "Technically, that was my station when we were first taking the Normandy out. With Nihlus here, and the shakedown, everyone was at their assigned place, you know, all formal and everything." He paused, standing up and kicking his boots against the floor, "I mean, same thing with Kaiden, he was up there for our first flight checking everything, but he and I move around the ship and find things to repair or modify. Besides, Joker's just fine locating comm buoys on his own, I was up there mostly for show."

"So, I should call you in case I don't see you?" she asked, turning towards him as she reached over for her shotgun.

"Either that or ask around, my duties are to help out the crew in anyway I can, and make sure the ship is running smoothly, whenever I'm up here. Of course, I did pretty well on combat training, so they have me do dirt-side techno babble in case anything turns to static." Keith shrugged as he pulled the familiar pistol out and closed his locker. "I mean, sure, I guess I'm a glorified handyman, but you've got men trained for those specific jobs down there, like Adams. He's great with engines, though you could probably give him an alien device to try to pull apart. I've actually served with him before, along with a few others here."

"I take it Kaiden's one of the few you're familiar with?" Shepard questioned him, though her eye traveled over the operator's shoulder to the lieutenant who had just arrived at their deck.

"Yeah, I've served with LT," Keith answered, following her gaze back to Kaiden and giving a short wave. "We had a few ground missions together, I think we're best known for getting a salarian delegate out from the hands of a few pirates." He gave a short chuckle as Kaiden opened his locker, "Hey Alenko, remember Arvuna?"

"Who doesn't remember that blasted place?" Kaiden fired back, moving quickly to get into uniform. "Water everywhere, insects that bite at your face, people dieing left and right? Not to mention that whole rite-of-passage of kidnapping someone."

"Ah he's still sore over it," Keith assured Marty, as he reached over the table for an assault rifle.

"We were there for an entire week, tracking down those pirates, and I probably didn't even get a wink of sleep," Kaiden continued, "I can't tell you how satisfied I was until after we blew that warehouse and got off-planet."

"Okay, technically, it was just that one room, we didn't blow up the entire thing," Keith shot a cautious look to the Commander.

"Wish we did... I mean, afterwards, at least," Alenko clarified, nodding to the Commander, "Nobody died down there, arrested all of the kidnappers. But yes, Keith, I remember our brilliant plan, and how we pulled it off, and got commended and reprimanded."

"See, and wasn't that worth it all?"

"After all that? No," Kaiden declared, giving a stern look back to the technician.

"Hey-"  
"Kidding, we did a good job, got the official out, and nobody was seriously hurt. Sarge was just angry we didn't go with his plan, but he was never one to listen anyway." Kaiden laughed and finished with his armor, moving over to the armaments station. "So, Commander, I take it we located Liara?"

"Well I hope so," she answered, "Scanner shows a dig site on the surface, recently worked on, latest reports say they found some more intact Prothean ruins. Hopefully she's down there. We're also seeing some activity around the area, not in the mining sort of sense, really."

"You think the geth managed to get here before us?" the lieutenant asked, taking the pistol that was waving before him, courtesy of the operator.

"We're not taking chances, so be prepared," she affirmed his concerns, before turning back to the table and her shotgun.

"Right, if it starts clicking at us menacingly, take it down," Keith reiterated, as he moved over towards a storage crate, opening it to browse through the various grenades inside.

"Hey you never know, we might have discovered a new species," the cool-growling voice of Garrus came from behind them, his feet carrying him to the table where Shepard leaned.

"Down on Therum?" Keith asked, although he took the moment to check a nearby terminal to see what planet they were arriving at. "I believe the surface is mostly... what rich metals and molten elements?" he finished, turning to the others for confirmation of his information.

"Well, if they could survive in that sort of habitat, then all those tales of the Rachni would be kept to the bars." The turian chuckled as he picked up his sniper rifle, turning it over in his hands as his optics device scanned over it, making sure it was in great condition.

"Great... lava monsters hidden by the Protheans and geth, just brimming with enthusiasm now, Garrus," Keith retorted, moving from the table and collapsing the rifle he had picked up a moment prior. He shot the turian another look as he reached over his shoulder, placing the minimized weapon to dock with the magnets in his armor, "I guess Garrus here is rounding out the squad?" he asked aloud, casting his gaze sideways to the Commander.

"Didn't want our new turian friend to get bored," Marty responded, "Figured with all the constant checking on the Mako, he'd like to see how it handles."

Keith glanced across from the cargo bay to the large rover, its white hull betrayed by the various scuffs and dirt from previous ventures. The design, reminiscent of old Russian tanks, sometimes caught the eye of other species, especially the turians, who favored their firepower and massive ships, though they always kept watch on the rest of the citadel races for any new military technologies. He was curious what motivations was keeping Garrus hanging around the glorified mobile bouncy castle, granted, it had weapons and armor, as well as the mass core that allowed them to make safe landings and take-offs, or at least most of the time.

"Shepard, it handles great when the dirt's not bunched up into a stretch of small hills," Keith complained, "And honestly, when is there ever a planet that isn't a heap of rough terrain?"

"If it makes you feel better, the mining facility should have flattened pathways to and from our landing spot," Marty assured the operator, "A small area where shuttles land to bring out excavated ores and Prothean treasures."

"Drop in ten minutes," the comms suddenly popped on, as Joker fed information through to the team via the speakers around the area. A quick glance over his shoulder and Keith noticed several of the crew moving to other parts of the ship, ensuring their safety from the elements of a foreign planet.

"Well, it's in the cart or straight to the ground," he muttered aloud, turning back to the Commander.

"I think the former is a better option," she remarked, smiling lightly as she walked towards the Mako, the three men following after, "Keith, I want you to take the gunner's seat, Kaiden, assist me in status reports and the like, Garrus... have you been in one before?"

"Actually, yes, there was an incident a couple of years ago with a runaway fugitive who was up to selling weapons that he stole from military shipments. He wasn't very good at keeping track of his keys, or his paper trail, for that matter." The turian flashed his serrated smile as he clambered in after, leaving Keith to shut the door after.

"So I take it you recovered the rover and brought it back to evidence?" Kaiden asked as he moved to the co-pilot's seat beside Shepard.

"I meant runaway as in he was running, the vehicle was the only thing that could catch up to him," Garrus informed as he maneuvered himself in the somewhat cramped place, allowing Keith to take his position, "I found out how well you can knock this thing off balance if the driver is panicking due to all the lights and sirens blocking off the usual exits and someone breathing down your neck the entire way." He followed up with a soft chuckle before he patted the helmet by his side, "He did not look pretty at all when he came crawling out of his car."

The slight falling sensation as the rover fell towards the planet's surface tugged at Keith's gut, although he knew that the mass core was engaged to make their landing as soft as possible, thanks to the thrusters on the underside of the craft. Soon, the back-end tires hit dirt, and the car wobbled forward, bringing them back into their reasonable weight and balance. He closed his eyes slightly and felt his stomach, before turning to the turian at his side, "Garrus, that alcohol have any long-lasting effects?" he asked, as Kaiden read off the readings from the sensors on the outside of the vehicle.

"Well, there's the odd case of a longer hangover for levo-amino species, either that or it comes back in waves. It should be out of your system in the standard 24 hours," Garrus commented, rubbing his bony chin as he looked over Keith's face, "I may have glossed over that part back at the bar."

"Wait, Citadel hours?" Keith continued inquiring, as the car began rumbling forward, Shepard driving them towards the mining facility.

"Of course I meant- oh, right, you travel a great deal," the turian gave a small sympathetic smile, "Sorry."

"Did I hear you guys were at a bar back on the Citadel?" Alenko's voice carried back to them over the sounds of the monitors, "Why wasn't I invited?"

"Spur of the moment, Lieutenant," Keith fired back, wincing slightly as they hit a bump.

"Don't feel too bad, LT, I wasn't really invited either," Shepard interrupted the squad, though her eyes were glued to the view-feed.

"That's not entirely true," Garrus corrected her, as he turned back to the fore, "I did send that message your way."

"Yes, but I guess it didn't strike either of you to offer a lady a drink," she retaliated, taking a moment to glance back towards the other two.

"Don't look at me," Keith blurted out, "Garrus was the one buying... well technically."

"He's right, I was buying," Garrus followed quickly after, giving no pause to allow her mind to wonder over the operator's meaning.

"Well Shepard, next time we go ashore, I'll buy you a drink, hell, I'll buy everyone a round if we find the doctor and get her out of here," Kaiden broke back into the conversation.

"Like you have the pay," Keith remarked, cracking a large smile although his stomach was fighting against the bouncing feeling from the vehicle.

"As a matter of fa-" Kaiden was cut off as a large, purple and bulbous looking craft roared overhead, which dropped a pair of large quadruped machines in the path of the rover before taking off over the large and unclimbable hills.

"Contact!" Shepard snapped the men out of their distraction, as Keith shifted the turret fore, and opened fire with the mass accelerator cannon. He watched as the sudden burst of fragmented matter splash over the foremost machine, watching as it stood up on its small, pronged feet, its long, curved neck reminding the occupants of the rover of the enemy they had met back at Eden Prime.

"Geth armatures," Kaiden declared as Shepard pulled the craft to the left, avoiding the returning projectiles, the blue bolts flying past the hull of the Mako and bursting as they contacted with the surface behind them.

"Nice moves Commander," Keith hollered as he continued to track the first assailant, triggering the secondary machine gun and peppering the pair as the rover lurched over a ridge, "Please let these things die easily enough," he added in a hush. He was rewarded as soon the small, accelerated fragments struck the hull of the machines before them, a visual cue the shields of the armature had dropped, and a second shot from the main cannon broke the neck of the closer machine, the body standing for a moment longer before collapsing to the crusted earth.

"One down," he called out as he swiveled the turret onto the second attacker, the flare of another bolt sailing past his camera. He noticed the crackling of his visual feed and called out, "That pulse weaponry will do hell to our shields, let's not get hit, eh?"

"Worried about the finish?" Garrus asked, though he was braced against the wall of the compartment.

"He's right, we don't have much omni-gel on hand to be doing field repairs," Kaiden answered the turian, as he continued monitoring the battle.

"Let me give you a better target," Shepard barked as she spun the rover into the armature's leg, sending it toppling to the ground. As the machine struggled to regain it's footing, Keith already had sighted the large device and opened fire, ceasing its functions.

A moment passed, the cliffsides tossing the echo of the turret off into the distance, as Kaiden called out, "All clear, no other hostiles in the area." The lieutenant turned back over his shoulder, a small smile, "Nice shooting Keith."

"I try," the operator responded, before holding a breath in. "This rocking around is making me a bit uneasy."

"Can you hang in there, Sunderland?" Marty asked, though she didn't turn to assess his status, putting her foot down and driving off past the downed geth constructions.

"Yeah, I'll make it, Commander," Keith replied, though he gritted his teeth with each bounce, as the Mako zipped along a pair of pipes embedded into the mountainous walls, a convenient leading sign for the team. He took the moment to scan the area, red, rocky, dirty and hot being the only words that came to his mind. Thankfully the atmosphere had some oxygen to it, so the planet wasn't entirely unhospitable, but in spots that comfort was lost, no thanks to the ash and smoke rising from the many pits of lava in the area.

As the squad passed over a natural bridge of sorts, Kaiden called out, "Multiple contacts, a couple large ones, too." He glanced to the side, noting the hull's integrity, "We want to take this easy?"

"We'll have to see," Shepard declared, as she brought the rover rumbling around the corner. They were given a brief few seconds, bringing the view of one of the mining facility's outposts into view, as well as a pair of rocket turrets, which spun quickly and tracked the incoming vehicle.

"Contact!" Kaiden yelled, as Shepard yanked the car to the side, avoiding the first wave of missiles, while Keith opened fire, trying to keep a bead on the turrets.

"I'm not sure I can take them both down, Shepard, we're in a narrow space here," Keith yelled to the driver, noting a rocket barely missing the camera mounted onto the turret.

"It'd be best if we could approach from another angle," Garrus spoke up, watching through Keith's visual feed, "I think there's a passage in the wall up there, but we have to be quick."

"I hear you," Shepard answered back, as she spun the rover in another direction, giving another salvo a miss, and soon found the opening in the rocks on the side. "Nice spot there, Garrus."

"I get that a lot," he replied casually, before turning back to the gunner's screen. "I see another turret ahead."

"Yeah, I see it too," Keith cut him off, catching the new turret in a hail of gunfire and cannon shots. The protective device promptly erupted in a shower of sparks and shrapnel, satisfying the Commander as she drove the vehicle past and into the outpost.

They were greeted immediately with gunfire and smaller rockets as Shepard fought to keep the rover moving, while Kaiden scanned the area, before announcing "We're on the right track, but the way forward is closed. I believe the controls to the gate are in that construction there," he signaled by tapping a point on the map, the blip appearing for the rest of the crew. "Only problem is there's a small army of Geth coming from everywhere." Sure enough, the multitude of small red blips, signifying hostile weapons fire, swarmed about the area, hiding behind crates and pouring out of the buildings nearby.

"Right, Garrus and I will disembark and hit the controls, you two keep them busy for us, alright?" Shepard quickly barked out orders. "Kaiden, transferring driving controls to you in 3."

"Got it," Kaiden replied, as Shepard flipped a switch and Kaiden took hold of the devices at his seat. Seeing that he had the rover under his direction, Shepard pulled out of her seat and moved back towards the sealed hatch, where Garrus waited to open at her mark. "Good luck," Kaiden added, as he slowed the craft down, just enough for the two to be able to make a safe landing. As soon as he noted they were standing, he gunned the accelerator, and plowed over a small group of geth soldiers, the tires bouncing and skidding over the metallic bodies.

Keith watched through his monitor as he sent a stream of bullets into a pair of soldiers lining the doors to the shack where Garrus and Shepard were headed, before spinning the turret around. As he searched for a new target amidst the crates, Kaiden smashed the rover into a much larger copy of the standard geth soldier, bowling it over and sending the car bouncing.

"You could have warned me!" Keith shouted up to the driver, wincing as he tried to keep his body under control. His stomach lurched again as Kaiden spun them around, driving in a large ring around the area, "And what is it with driving in circles?" he added, as he spattered gunfire in any direction but the other two squadmembers.

"There's not much room to maneuver, circles is really all I can do," Kaiden called back, as he turned again, barreling into the giant geth once more. "What, would you rather we go out and face them on foot?"

"No no, I like the armor, that's a good thing right now," the operator answered, as he turned and finished off the large geth, getting annoyed that they kept driving over the thing, "It's just that you're driving like a clown up there."

"Well maybe we can ask the geth to let up a bit, would that help?" Kaiden mocked the gunner, though his tone was anything but humorous.

"Just try not to run over any other bumps and things, I'm not doing so great back here."

Kaiden shrugged as he caught a signal from the Commander accompanied by the loud grinding of the gateway. He spun the craft again, and came to a skidding halt at the side of the building, where Garrus was busy picking off individual soldiers with his rifle. As Keith continued spraying gunfire and clearing out small pockets of geth, Marty and Garrus clambered into the small space of the Mako.

"We're clear to head out, and it looks like we got the most of them," Marty declared, before hopping back in her seat. "Let's move, we might still be able to get the doctor out safely."

Kaiden accelerated wildly, causing the tires to spin in the dirt, before purchase was found and they bolted out of the small facility. Marty motioned for Garrus to take her seat, hopping back out and moving to check on Keith, "You still alright?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay... if I can get a stim or something," he answered, though she was already diving into the first aid compartment near his seat. She quickly found an anti-nausea medicine and pulled the operator from his seat, handing the syringe to him and quickly taking his place.

"Take five, I need you at your best," she spoke curtly, before fixing her attention to the view and promptly opening fire at a pair of targets.

Keith nodded and closed his eyes, as he placed the medicine to a small slot on the hip of his armor, clicking it into place. He took a breath as he flipped his omnitool on and activated the suit's injecting system, giving a small grunt as he felt his skin prickle around the waist area. Keith attempted to keep his head in one place as the rover bounced over the rock and machines in the area, passing through a series of tunnels, the squad's voices giving small bits of information as more groups of geth appeared, hiding behind barricades, stomping in the path of the Mako, or attempting to flee out of the way.

It had been mere minutes when they pulled up to an obstruction of rubble in the way of the rover, only a small path forward, wide enough for foot travel, presented to the squad. The engine's rumble came to a halt as the four occupants disembarked and took stock of their situation

"I guess this is the end of the line," Kaiden remarked, as he took a long look at the crevice through the rocks ahead. "Maybe the geth carved their way through there, but didn't want anyone else just driving up here?"

"That could be a possibility," Garrus affirmed his statement, as he turned to check with the other two behind, "Prevent any large vehicles from accessing this location, but well enough for their dropships to insert troops. " The turian's mandibles flexed slowly, as he pondered over the situation, "I don't like this. What do you think Shep-"

Garrus cut himself off as he noticed the operator standing off near the side of the debris, facing away towards the nearby river of melted earth. Keith's hunched stature and rhythmic movements told the others that the medicine hadn't changed his stomach's mind, and he was currently evacuating his breakfast as out of sight as he could muster, though he was smart to not wander too far. He took a couple seconds of breath, and heaved again, as Shepard turned away from him, a grimace spreading across her face.

"Short break, keep a look out, boys," she stated quickly, pointing past the large pile of rubble. After she gave a quick scan over the horizon herself, she brought her attention back to Keith. She paused to note his shoulders bobbing less, letting her know he was about finished, "Can you hang in there with us, Ensign?"

"Yeah, I should be fine," Keith spoke, as he reached around the utility belt he had built into his armor. A quick feeling around, he managed to find a small, sterile towel in a plastic wrap, tearing the flimsy shell open and wiping his face with the cloth. He stood up straight and took a deep breath, coughing lightly as the smell of burning solids and taste of bile played havoc on his constitution. "I think the med should be kicking in soon, let's get- get up that hill, yeah?" His throat choked down another twinge from his gut, fighting off the last, dwindling instincts to expel any more taint of the alcohol from the day prior.

Marty eyed the young man over again, making sure he had his balance, and turned back to the others. "Kaiden, take point, Keith, stay towards the back, but keep an eye out, just in case." She took a step towards the split in the gravel ahead, "We need to get to the doctor, let's move!"

"Right away, ma'am," Kaiden responded, pulling his rifle from over his shoulder and moving through the hole ahead.

Kaiden's enthusiasm to press on was met with a barrage of small arms fire, driving the lieutenant back out of the corridor and sending the other three scrambling for cover. Garrus reached out and grabbed the retreating human by the collar, yanking him off to the side before he tripped in his haste. "Well, the plan's not out of the window, but I recommend we not stick our heads out too far. Nobody here wants to ruin their charming looks, right?" he asked in a joking manner, turning back to Kaiden with another short laugh.

"Yeah, good point," Kaiden muttered sarcastically, as he switched his firearm to its full-auto mode. "I believe there was a great deal of them pouring down the hillside, this is gonna be one hell of a push."

Shepard adjusted herself so she could fire her shotgun towards the geth, presenting as little of herself as possible. Her attempts were quickly stifled as the aggressors decided to unload where the gunfire had manifested through the breach. "Certainly feels like it," she commented, as she pressed her back to a boulder. "Bright ideas, anyone?"

"Here," Keith finally spoke up, unclipping a small grenade disc and handing it to the commander, "Throw this at them."

"Why do you have those?" Kaiden asked in a bewildered manner, realizing what the operator had presented.

"I figured if we're going up against a race of sentient machines, it wouldn't hurt to have some of these in the belt," Keith snapped back, as he pulled his pistol from its holster and clicked on its laser-sight. "Let's not argue about this. Shepard, its just pinch and throw, like the others."

Marty hadn't paused to comment until after the object was traveling towards the machines, "What was that, exactly?" she asked, readying herself for an explosion.

"Electric-pulse-disruptor grenade thing," Keith stammered, "It knocks out electronics for a while, should give us a window of opportunity." As if on cue, the sound of the disc bursting and crackling energies bouncing from object to object hit their ears.

Seizing the moment, Shepard yelled, "Now!" as she wheeled out of cover and stormed through the crevice, Kaiden following behind as they sprinted towards cover, firing over her head at the geth, who stood either shaking from the current racking their metallic bodies or checking their weapons, surprised that the cooling system had locked up, causing them to double back to cover as well.

"That'll do," Garrus cheerfully called out, as he turned on his heel and sighted one of the machines before a well placed shot brought the geth crashing to the ground. He quickly zipped his scope out, looking for another target, and fired again. "I take it those things aren't standard for Alliance?" he asked nonchalantly as he searched for a new target, trying to keep the two forward soldiers from being flanked.

"Not entirely, but you'd be surprised what our requisitions can acquire," Keith muttered, as he gave a bit of covering fire for Kaiden, as he crept towards a barrier shielding a pair of machines that were focused on the long-range assailants. "I'm sure I could whip up a few more if you wanted some."

"Keith, I think you and I are gonna get along just fine," the turian replied, as he watched Kaiden pick up one of the last two geth to smash into the other with his biotics. "Looks clear from here, Shepard," Garrus called over the radio and switched to his assault rifle, "Come on, we don't want them to have all the fun."

As the two caught up with the commander, Kaiden came hustling back, "I believe you said you weren't using those ever again," he glared at the operator, "After that whole incident?"

"So I knocked out our transmitters and we had to hike back to base instead of radioing for pickup, we could have used the exercise anyway. Let it go, man," Keith responded.

"You also had to replace your favorite omnitool," Kaiden added, as if they were in a verbal sparring match.

"Yes, and that sucked, but these things have a decent use now, and they don't completely fry anything anymore!"

"Fellas, geth, asari doctor, may need help, remember? Focus," Marty interrupted the two, as she turned and made her way up the hill. The two men shared a furtive glance before they moved to catch up with the commander.

The large structures topped with directed, high-powered LED's and the looming figures of large tanks of whichever chemicals the miners needed notified the squad that they had reached the entry point to the mine. Long, narrow pipes lining a catwalk stretched out over the soldiers towards a large, mechanical door, encased in a ring-shaped structure for support and a pair of ramps leading down to their level, the most likely way into the rock to find the doctor. Keith cast his eyes left and right, watching for any sign of movement. Surprisingly, it was quiet, much to his concern, and he gave a wary glance to his omnitool, checking to see if his motion sensors could pick anything up.

The sight of a flickering, unstable map program filled him with a sudden dread, as he heard Garrus ask aloud, "Did any of you see that?" His rifle was pointed away from the entrance, to where the platforms stood, in case workers needed to patch up a leak in the containers.

"Radar's jammed, y'think-" Keith was cut off as the roar of a ship passed overhead, and the sky became littered with falling objects. A pair of the larger geth landed opposing them several yards away near another large pit of lava, followed by an armature, which took a slow moment to stand up, unfolding its legs with a series of loud clicks and hums.

"Take cover!" Garrus yelled as he dashed to the side, seeking refuge behind a large pile of containers. The others followed suit as the armature powered its main cannon, firing a large pulse where the soldiers once stood, opening up the usual negotiations of a firefight.

"I really wish we brought the rover with us now!" Keith grumbled as he reached to pull out his assault rifle. He took a quick chance to peek through a gap in the crates, and noted the large, bipedal geth moving on their location. "We've got incoming, boss! Big ones want to play, and the area's crawling with the smaller ones."

"I don't think they'll be that-" Garrus started to speak, until a red tracer bounced off his shields, instantly bringing him down to his armor as he ducked back. "I should have figured they'd have snipers." He gave a quick look over where the shot would have impacted his armor, and found a lack of damage. "Shepard, not a good idea if we all stay here."

"Same as last time, then," Marty declared, "LT and I put up barriers and rush to the other side, where the snipers are. We may be able to draw the big one over as well, but it would be great if you two can give covering fire." She drew a sharp breath and held it for a moment, as the air surrounding her seemed to glow. "Ready?"

Her question seemed almost redundant, as she leaped from cover and fired at the juggernaut, gaining its attention as her legs pumped, moving her across the ground and towards the scaffolding, Kaiden following hot on her heels.

Garrus seemed slightly impressed with the commander's spirit, "Doesn't stop much, does she?" he asked, as he checked on his shield's recharging status.

"Ah she's like that, throw a dude, sprint across the room," Keith commented, as he stood up, firing a few sets of bursts at the smaller sized geth, before the large armature, still lingering towards the side of the pit, sent another large pulse round his way. "We've still got the attention of quad-legs back there!"

Garrus growled as he leaned over their crate, taking a quick shot before ducking back, "Jammer's probably got the radio as well, see if you can spot any small red lights over there."

Keith nodded and took a small glance off to the side, his eyes traveling quickly over the scaffolding above the other pair. A flit of motion caught his attention, and he tracked the object as best as he could until it came to a halt. The figure hung from the catwalk, peering down at his squadmates, its thin, limber body giving a stark contrast to the other machines bearing down on the team.

"Garrus, under side of the catwalk," he quickly blurted out, pointing towards the figure. He had noted its eyepiece was glowing a non-standard red, as much as he understood about the geth so far. "Must have a modified ocular device."

"Not for long," Garrus spat, bringing his rifle to bear and placing the cross-hairs on the target. It seemed unaware of the sniper, content to take potshots at the two biotics separated from any decent cover. A loud crack sounded, as Garrus's rifle kicked into his shoulder pad, and a moment later the skinny geth slumped downwards, its appendages losing grip with the metal above and eventually falling to the battleground below, before one of the juggernauts managed to trample it into a smaller shape.

The turian settled back down, tapping his glowing eyepiece, and giving a laugh. "That was it, those little ones must have all sorts of stealth technology. Too bad they don't cloak between shots." As he remarked, the motion detectors had become clear again, and small, red blips showed the numbers of the geth in their area. He glanced around the other side of cover right as the dirt in front of the crates burst. "That big one's still a problem though."

"Of course it is," Keith fired back, before tapping the side of his helmet. A moment's pause followed up until he slapped the same spot again. "I swear this thing," he grumbled, before he glanced down to his omnitool. A few presses later, he managed to activate his suit's microphone. "Hey Shepard, that big one still wants us dead over here. We'd be happy to trade for your guys if you'd like."

"You have any more of those discs?" Shepard's voice came a moment later, before the red-head popped from cover to brutalize an advancing geth soldier with more shotgun fire.

"Sure do," the operator pulled another of the special grenades from his belt. After another check for hostiles, he pinched in on both sides of the small object and took a step to the side, getting a good view of the two large geth advancing upon the other two at a stable pace. A quick judgement later, and the operator hurled the explosive overhead, casting it in a high arc towards the ground between the two. The pitch paid off as the disc landed at a midpoint between the two large geth before it detonated in a shower of sparks and electricity. Keith made a quick cheer, pumping his fist to the side, until he realized that the geth, while certainly stopped progressing towards the other two, now turned to focus their attention on the operator and the turian. "Oh... I didn't think they'd have shields," he muttered quietly, though he took the moment to duck back behind cover.

"Still stopped them for a moment," Garrus added, as he took quick aim and placed a shot through the eye of one of the behemoths. He watched cautiously as the unit's head kicked back to the side before settling back towards the two behind the crates until, thankfully, it toppled over a moment later. "Well that seems to be one down," he affirmed to the human by his side, as he ducked back down and pressed his back to the containers. He quickly tapped his own communicator, "Well, we've got those two, if you could get the armature for us now."

"On it," Shepard's reply came accompanied with a burst of biotic energy which jetted its way into the body of the quadruped, apparently still comfortable at the back of the field. The sudden force knocked it back, sending it scrambling for its footing as Kaiden opened fire with his rifle.

"Alright, let's focus on this thing and get the hell out of this heat," Garrus stated, popping Keith in the shoulder with a quick punch.

"What makes you think it's cooler in there?" the operator asked, as he shifted his stance, firing at the larger soldier bearing down on them.

"Nothing really, just don't like the feeling of being out in the open where snipers can rain down on us," the turian admitted, as he scooted around the crate for a better vantage. A second later, he rounded the corner and scoped the juggernaut's frame, plugging an identical hole to the one in the other machine. "That wraps that up, I think."

Keith watched as their assailant slowed, tripped, and came clattering onto the crates he had crouched behind. The quickly fading lights along the geth's body confirmed their hopes, they had ruined this unit. "Nice shooting Garrus, you do this often?"

"Honestly? Not as often as I'd like." The sniper chuckled softly as he checked over his rifle, seeing how its heat dissipation was progressing. "Only so much a firing range can prepare you with."

"Well, since we've taken care of this," Keith gestured back towards the other side of the grounds, "Shouldn't we help with that now?"

Garrus took a quick peek over their cover, and gave a shrug, "No, I think those two may have things handled." He nodded over to the tanks, where the biotics had hoofed to earlier. Kaiden had popped up, swinging his arm upwards and causing a small lift field, giving the armature even more of a fight to keep in its stable position. As the large machine's underbelly was exposed, Shepard leapt forward, slinging an open hand in a throwing motion and sending the geth vehicle airborne and into the large pit of lava behind. The large machine seemed to shriek as it's body warped from the heat and sparks shot from its lighted ports, until its flailing ceased and it finished sinking into the lake.

"Damn, remind me to never be on a side against you two," Keith remarked over the radio as he studied his omnitool. The motion detectors registered no active beings aside from the four in his squad, and he stood up straight. "All clear, Commander."

"Quick break, then we head down," Marty radioed back with a tired huff. She lifted an arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead and took stock of the lieutenant, who was also showing signs of fatigue. "You holding up alright?"

"Yeah, I was saving up for something like this," Kaiden assured her, as he reached behind himself to place his rifle back to its holster. He checked the area around the two of them, before nodding in the direction of the operator and the turian, "They certainly had us covered."

"You have no confidence in our squadmates?" she asked, poking Kaiden in the side of his armor with her elbow. She gave a small smile as her legs started working again, carrying her in a calm stride towards the mine's entrance.

"Oh, Keith? He's got his moments, I believe the medicine is finally kicking in, he looks better," Kaiden replied, as he moved to match her stride. "I'm not too sure about Garrus though."

"Garrus has saved plenty of necks, not just ours."

"Yes, but he's also taken a good deal of others," Kaiden's voice fell to a softer tone as they neared the other pair, "I'm not certain shooting that one gentleman was part of the procedure at C-Sec."

His point struck home with Marty, as she mulled over the truth. Eventually, she spoke up, "He's serving on our ship, he'll follow my orders. If he doesn't, that's something we'll have to work over." She slowed her gait for a short moment, "But I don't think he's going to cause any trouble for us or the crew."

"Noted, just voicing a concern ma'am."

The two by the crates greeted the pair with warm grins, "Well, we certainly could have used more of that throwing-geth-around act," Keith commented, jerking a thumb towards the smoking spot where the armature had landed in the lava, "Could have saved us quite the trouble."

"Well you certainly look like you feel better," Kaiden dismissed the operator's statement, Keith knew well enough that biotic users get tired quickly by constantly using their powers. Kaiden craned his head to the side, looking over the large door leading into the mines. "Think there's more in there?"

"Almost certainly," Garrus rubbed his chin, following the lieutenant's gaze as well. "We shouldn't keep them waiting, I think."

"And certainly not the doctor," Kaiden added bluntly, punctuating the turian's sentence rather quickly.

"Alright, gentlemen," Shepard declared, keeping any flames from spreading in the squad, "We've got a mission, let's get it done. Kaiden, take point, let's find the good doctor and get her out of here."

They stepped into a long, cylindrical tunnel, descending down into the planet, curved lights lining the tunnel walls as they passed through. Their arrival wasn't unnoticed, as a trio of geth soldiers waited at the bottom, hoping to ambush them. Thankfully, Keith's notice of more jammers in the area alerted them to potential threats, and Shepard simply gunned down the first two geth right off of the ramp. The third managed to fire off a pulse, which struck the guard rail to the platform the squad had exited onto, and Garrus placed a shot through the center of the third ambush machine, causing it to fall off of the extended catwalk and into the depths below.

Keith peered down, past the platform, and gave a quiet whistle, "Wonder how far down this goes?"

"Lights ahead, I don't think we'll be answering that question too soon," Kaiden responded, scanning ahead of their platform towards the elevator that lay in wait at the end of the platform, although the rock face allowed a narrow path to large erected barrier. As they neared the field barring their progress, Keith took notice of the change in metals from the platform to the new structure ,from grated metal walkways to a new surface composed of tiles, bulging and curving here and there, built within the cave.

"Well, I guess we found the Prothean ruins," the operator declared, "But I don't see any asari."

"Elevator, then," Shepard stated, leading the other three back to the transpot. The door slid open with a scraping sound, as suspected, and the squad piled in before thumbing the button to descend.

"You know," Garrus suddenly spoke up, "This would be my first time in a Prothean ruin... excluding the Citadel, I mean."

"Are we sure the Citadel could still be counted as ruins?" Keith asked, narrowing his eyes at the turian.

"Not sure, but it's still pretty old, isn't it?" More of the doorways passed them by as the elevator continued its trip, nearing them to the darkness Keith had mentioned earlier. It stopped at a new platform, which continued the lateral movement towards the Prothean building until it met with another elevator.

"Kinda remind me of bathrooms," Kaiden remarked, "The tiles I mean." He motioned to the holes lined with the strange crafting, right as a pair of flying drones appeared in front of it.

"Whoa, incoming!" Keith yelled as he ducked back into the first elevator, taking cover with the rest of the squad. They were quickly gunned down, but the sound of hurried footsteps echoing from below argued against their thoughts of safety.

"Let's clear them out," Shepard declared as she stormed down the catwalk towards the next elevator.

The next car hurtled downwards, the squad waiting anxiously as more of the holes passed by. Keith finally broke the silence, "Really, Kaiden?"

"What?" the lieutenant responded, caught by surprise from the comment.

"Prothean architecture... looks like our bathroom tiles. What a great way to honor the lost races." He began to laugh right as the elevator shook in a sudden deceleration, sending the four grabbing at the walls of the car as sparks flew from the console near the door. They finally came to a stop a few feet from the platform beneath them, and the door slid open with the familiar scraping sound, accompanied by a red light appearing on the console.

"Power must have went out, at least the door still works," Garrus concluded aloud, moving forward to hop down and check the area out. A series of beams had collapsed near the elevator, causing the catwalk to split in places, some sections going up while the majority led down to the cave floor. The cavern itself extended far to their right, leading away from the alien structure at their side. Once more, no signs of living beings appeared to them, aside from the shimmering barrier field in the hole at the bottom floor. The catwalk suddenly ended, most likely torn from the damage the geth may have been causing, and forced the four to hop down, their boots landing in a thump as they hit the floor.

"Uh, hello?" a new voice came from behind the squad, back where the barrier field continued to glow, "Can somebody help me? Please?" Keith turned back, staring through the field and finding an asari adorned in a doctor's lab coat, suspended by a field bubble of some sorts.

"Shepard, I think it's her," Keith remarked, as he moved over to place his hand on the surface of the barrier. It resisted his reach, pushing his hand back in a pattern that reminded him of waves in the lake back home.

"Can you hear me out there?" the asari called out again, noting the interlopers appearing before her, "I need help, I'm trapped!"

"Liara Tsoni, I presume?" Shepard asked, moving close to the barrier and raising her voice.

"Oh thank the Goddess, I thought no one would find me down here," she gave a large sigh and turned her head towards her raised arms, "This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, I need you to get me out of here, all right?"

"Wow, she wastes no time," Keith muttered quietly, though the others heard him, "How long do you think she's been in there?"

"How did you get trapped in there?" Shepard asked, taking a cue from the operator.

"I was exploring the rumors when the geth showed up, so I hid in here," Liara shook her head as best as she could, her movements appeared to be pushed against by the bubble, "Can you believe it? Geth, beyond the veil."

"More than you can imagine," Kaiden answered the trapped asari, before casting a wayward glance behind themselves.

"I activated the tower's defenses, I knew they would keep the geth out, but," the doctor bit her lip as she then added, "When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. I was trapped in here, can you help me?"

"You know, your mother, Benezia, is working with a rogue Spectre, Saren," Shepard took the moment to inform her. "Whose side are you on?"

"Shepard?" Keith quietly asked, wondering why the commander asked so abruptly.

"What? I'm on no one's side. I don't know what you're talking about," Liara stammered, shaking her head again. "I may be her daughter, but we don't see eye to eye. I haven't spoken to her in years, please, get me out of here."

"Alright, stay calm, we'll find some way to get you out of there."

"There are controls on this side to shut down the system, but you'll have to find some other way around the barrier," Liara added, trying to motion to the console sitting a few feet from her position. "Be careful, there's a krogan here with the geth, they've tried to get in here a few times, he may still be around."

"Got it." Shepard took another look at the field between them and the asari, before turning to the operator.

"I know what you're gonna say, and no. These barriers probably match the strength of a ship's shielding generator." Keith gave a small shrug, "Must be power running through a great deal of a system's, we'll have to find some other way."

"Alright, sit tight, doctor, we'll get you out of there." Shepard motioned back to the cave, leading the rest of the squad away from the Prothean construction.

They had only taken a few steps when Garrus cried out, "Hostiles spotted," and fired a shot into a group of advancing geth troopers. The squad winded their way through the rocks and boulders, taking down the machines almost as swiftly as they saw them, before another, "All clear," sounded from Kaiden.

The dim lights revealed a series of tarps covering crates and lockers in the back, as well as some pipes that led back up towards the surface. "Must've been where the archeologists must've wanted to set up shop," Keith announced, as he pawed through a pile of tools in one of the tents.

"Must have some real equipment to do all of this... what are these?" Kaiden asked aloud, as he placed his hand on a large, cylindrical object back towards where the catwalk had collapsed.

Keith stood up, taking a good, long look at the device that Kaiden had mentioned, "I think that's... that's a mining laser. Yeah, those things have some real power behind them if you're not careful. I remember my dad helped build two of those."

Marty had moved over to Kaiden, studying the device. "Seems like it was knocked over haphazardly," she stated, as she followed the nose of the drill towards the Prothean structure and into the rock floor. "Hey, Keith... crazy idea, do you think you can get this thing running?"

"Probably, if there's power and a console- oh, yes it does," Keith remarked as he came jogging up with Garrus. He quickly tapped a button on the side, causing the system's to light up. "Well, I'd need a code to do this right, but I think I can access its functions externally."

"Do you need-"

"No, I've got it," Keith cut the commander off, bringing his omnitool up as his fingers danced along the interface. "Uh... but you guys may want to stand back... for your own safety."

"How the day's gone, I'd agree with that," Garrus commented, as he took a few visible strides backwards, away from the mining device.

A few uneasy seconds passed as Keith focused on the console of the mining laser drill, the orange glow of his omnitool reflected off of his helmet as he worked. He finally spoke, "And... we... are... good to go. Firing up in three, two, one!"

The squad readied for the impending light, the sound, the rumbling, something. Instead, the machine stayed quiet, even as the small LED's flickered on the console. "Is it supposed to be doing that?" Kaiden asked, his voice straining with nervousness.

"H-uh, I could have sworn I hit the right command," the operator muttered as he moved to key in a new coding, but was interrupted as soon as he hit the first button.

A sharp burst of light cut from the front of the drill and pierced into the rock before the squad, a loud roar accompanying the show of destruction. Everyone's hands flew to their ears and their eyes squinted away from the thin, bright beam of energy that cut into the cave.

"Shut it off!" Garrus managed to yell over the noise, as Keith's hand flew across his omnitool, smashing in a code to shut it down.

Almost as soon as it activated, it switched off, the end of the device, as well as the new tunnel before them, smoldered with residual heat. A moment of silence passed as the commander took stock of everyone's well being. "Well, that may have worked, nice job Keith." She moved forward and patted the operator on the shoulder as he removed his helmet.

Keith blinked for a moment, "Do not look directly at the operational end of the device they say, because it's so freaking hard not to," he muttered, before peering down into the new pathway.

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained," Kaiden announced, as he took the first few steps down the rocks. He stopped as his head almost disappeared from view, then turned back, "Looks like we're in, I see light."

The squad moved through the tunnel cautiously, hoping the cavern wouldn't simply fall apart on them, and found themselves in a new chamber, its walls reflecting the soft glow of lamps placed along the wall. The sheen of the metal and layout was certainly Prothean, including the platform that wrapped around the central pillar of the area. A faintly glowing hologram stood before them, apparently waiting for new input. Sure enough, the green, glowing tablet unfolded into a new series of screens, littered with the ancient race's writing. Thankfully, two markings matched their expectations of an up or down arrow, and Shepard quickly tapped the button, causing the platform they stood on to raise up to the next floor.

"That's convenience for you," Garrus joked, as he peered back to the holes, watching as they stopped at the next floor. "And there's the doctor," he added, pointing at the back of the asari, still held in the midair above the tiled floor.

"How... how did you get in here?" the doctor asked, startled by the turian's voice coming from behind. "I didn't think there was any way past the barrier!"

"Lo and behold," Keith's proudly announced, "You left a mining laser lying around out there, we helped ourselves." Keith smiled brightly, while the squad turned to look at him. Sensing hostility, he quickly added, "It was the commander's idea, though."

"Yes... that... that would have worked, I think, if you set it to a high output," Liara's mind wandered for a mere second, before she asserted herself, "In any case, that button over there should let me down. Hurry, before the geth get here."

"Hold on, Commander," Kaiden suddenly interrupted the asari, "Before we let her out, what's to say she's not working with Saren, like her mother?"

"I am not my mother!" the doctor snapped, frustrated at his words, "I don't even... I don't know why Benezia joined Saren, I don't want anything to do with that turian bastard!"

"Sounds legitimate," Garrus spoke softly, not wanting to frustrate the girl any more.

"Alright, let's get you down," Shepard affirmed, moving over towards the Prothean console and tapping the mentioned button. A soft hum sounded as the bubble around Liara faded, and she fell to the floor like a doll. "You okay?" the commander asked, offering her a hand up.

"Yes, thank you, it's good to move freely again," the doctor answered, stretching lightly. "We need to go, that platform back there should be an elevator to the upper levels, I think."

The five moved back towards the platform, stepping on as Liara moved towards the console, "I have no idea why the geth are after me, what could they possibly want?"

"Well they're working for Saren, maybe they wanted you to help them find some Prothean devices," Keith responded, sticking close and watching her inputs on the device. "Maybe the Conduit."

"The Conduit? I don't know about any..." she trailed off as a low rumbling sounded, followed by a cracking noise. "Oh no... these ruins aren't stable, that laser you activated may have caused a seismic event." She turned her attention back to the console, tapping wildly, "We have to hurry, the whole place is caving in!"

"Good idea, let's get out of here," Marty agreed, activating her radio, "Joker, get the Normandy moving and lock onto my coordinates, we need pickup on the double."

"Roger that, ETA 8 minutes, we'll be there!" the pilot's voice came back swiftly.

"Now he says 8, if it's not 8, or sooner, I'm gonna kill him," the operator muttered to himself as his eyes traveled upwards, watching the ceiling of the structure grow closer. The lift was working as if no damage was done to it, as far as the squad could tell, and they soon arrived at the top, as a large-humped Krogan in shining heavy armor strode forward, flanked by a small group of geth. They came to a halt near the platforms edge, the Krogan's eyes began scanning the aliens before him.

"Surrender. Or don't, it's fine either way," he barked, toting a wicked looking shotgun in his hands.

Marty stepped to the front of the squad, glaring back at the leader. "This place is coming down, if you haven't noticed," she mentioned, referring to the cacophony of shifting rocks and cracking ground around them.

"Exhilirating isn't it?" the krogan replied morbidly, taking a pair of steps onto their platform. "Thanks for getting rid of the barriers for us, now hand over the doctor."

Liara backed up as Kaiden moved forward, hoping to shield her in some way, "Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me," she spoke firmly, keeping her nerves from getting the better of her.

"Yeah, she'll stay with us, thanks!" Marty declared, giving a small, mocking wave to the Krogan leader.

"Not an option. Saren wants her," the krogan continued, his tone barely fluctuating, "And what Saren wants, he gets." He stopped to turn to the geth alongside of him, "Kill them, spare the asari. If not... doesn't matter," he added with a shrug.

Before he had turned back, Kaiden and Garrus had retreated to the back of the chamber with the doctor, firing at the geth while Keith and Marty took cover at the elevator's consoles. As the Krogan strafed around the side of the chamber, Keith chucked his last overloading disc at the geth, frying their systems and sending them smashing into the ground.

The other geth split up, one taking a sniping position while another fabricated a field barrier for its own cover, though it was quickly overcome by the concentrated gunfire of the squad, leaving the trooper to be perforated along its midsection, ruining its processing lines and effectively killing it.

The krogan yelled as he opened fire at the two by the consoles, taking slow strides as his shotgun finally brought Keith's shields down. He growled as his shotgun blared warnings at him, the core had to dissipate heat, giving the operator enough time to jump around the corner and activate his shield boosters.

Marty took the opportunity to return fire at the krogan, standing up and moving closer to maximize the damage she could do. The krogan bellowed his anger at her and lifted a hand to throw a backhand at the commander, until she lifted her palm, causing the krogan to lift up into the air as well, his fist unable to find contact with the human's face. He roared again as another force came along and sent him hurtling into the crate where the geth sniper had taken up temporary residence, until the weight of the large warrior broke him and the cover into several pieces. He growled as he finally found he could move on his own will again, and rolled to put himself back on his feet. As he made it onto his hands to push up, he was greeted by a small, blinking disc laying at the floor before him. His further attempts to recover were cut off as the disc detonated, the burst of shrapnel and explosive heat flared into his face, killing him instantaneously.

"Nice work," Marty yelled, as she turned back to see the other three had managed to avoid serious injury. "Now let's get out of here!" She didn't need to spout any more encouragement, as the squad holstered their weapons and began sprinting for the opening of the prothean structure, back to the where they had first entered the mine. Liara managed to keep up, Garrus making sure she stayed close to him as they ran. Rocks cascaded down the sides of the cavern as they hit the catwalk, the rumbling causing Kaiden to nearly lose his footing as Keith dodged a boulder right before him. The tunnel's lights ahead began flickering as the cave-in intensified, sending them into more of a panic as Kaiden raced ahead, giving small pushes to rocks that fell in their way.

The door to the entrance slid open quickly, as if matching their need to escape, and the crowd finally broke through into the open air, their strides slowing as they hit the walkway outside. Marty took a sigh of relief before she turned back, her eyes lingering on the mine's entrance. She felt defeated over losing the prothean building, but thankful they had managed to make it out in one piece. That is, until Keith broke her out of her reverie.

"Uh, Shepard? That lava's starting to spread, we may want to get back to the Mako, now!" his voice raised in volume as he began running back down the hill. Sure enough, the lake of lava where they had thrown the armature beforehand was bubbling and spreading over the lip of the rock, progressing on the squad as they gasped for breath.

Shepard cursed silently and yelled for the others to move, Liara wasting no time in following the operator's sudden dash towards the vehicle. Her heart pounded in her ears as her feet stamped against the ground, her only thought being escaping the oncoming tide of melting elements. She picked up the sound of the Normandy hovering overhead, waiting for them to fire the mass core inside of the rover and jet their way into the cargo bay.

Marty was the last one to the car as Garrus slammed the door shut behind her and screamed, "Go!" to Kaiden, who had taken his seat at the driver's station and hastily fired up the engine, powering the core and lowering their mass as the underside jets propelled them into the air and into range of the Normandy, the door standing open as they guided their smaller craft inside.

The tires touched down on the floor of the landing area as Keith shouted, "We're in, close up and get us outta here, Joker!" over his radio. He took a deep sigh as the lights from the planet were cut away by the closing bay door, and the sudden pull of the ships gravity meeting them as they accelerated out of reach of the shifting landscape below.

"Elvis has left the building, you may all sit down now," the operator finally joked to break the silence, laughing to himself as he peered over the squad.

"Who's Elvis?" Garrus asked as his breathing became calmer, giving the young man a quizzical look.

"Debriefing now, history later," he muttered, moving to the door and punching the system to let him out.

"Agreed," Marty added as she climbed out after him. "Suit down, shower if you need, and meet in the comms room." She took another sigh as the crew clambered out, making sure they were moving on their own accord. Her eyes fell onto Liara as she gingerly stepped out into the cargo bay, glancing around and the unfamiliar environment. Shepard smiled, "Welcome to the Normandy, doctor Tsoni."

_Holy Willy tap-dancing Wonka, that took me a while to do. I'm sorry if anyone likes this story enough to want a regularly updated story, but a lot of things happen around me. Family troubles, school getting heavy, and friends who want attention. Not to mention ME3's impending release. I thought I'd be way through this storyline before then. OH WELL! To be honest, I usually bug myself with not being descriptive enough, but I kinda disliked the environment. Was hard to find more descriptions of "Rocky area with lava."_

_Starting with the debriefing in the next chapter, but I'll try to keep it short and sweet. After that, we've got some back-'splainin to do. Who wants to hear how Marty Shepard and Keith Sunderland met? YAY ORIGINAL WRITING omaguh I'm tired._

_Fun Fact: I belted through the last... mmm, seven pages worth of this in one night. HAHA procrastination._


End file.
